Charmed World
by Katie20
Summary: WARNING! Not of the Charmed cast! It's a spinoff of Charmed. A sister and brother find out they're witches. Fighting, humor, and kinda-Charmed all in one! Season two started, whoo.
1. Ian King

**Basic Info:**

**Name –** Ian King

**Sex –** Male

**Nicknames –** N/A

**Age –** 25 (at the start of season one)

**Date of Birth –** April 22, 1977

**Astrological Sign – **Taurus

**Personality – **Funny, loving, can be romantic on occasion.

**Appearance –** Blue eyes, blonde hair, 6 ft, tannish skin.

**Likes –** Nascar racing, basketball, the martial arts, reading, and writing.

**Dislikes –** People who hunt for sport, math.

**Powers – **Molecular combustion (blowing things up), levitation, and premonition (seeing into the future and the past).

**Favorites:**

**Favorite TV Show –** The Simpsons

**Favorite movie –** The Matrix

**Favorite book –** Harry Potter

**Favorite fruit – **Grapes

**Favorite food – **Pe'King chicken

**Favorite color – **Flaming orange

**Favorite type of music –** Popular

**Favorite band(s) –** No Doubt, Steadman, Avril Lavigne, Stacie Orrico.

**Favorite song(s) –** Beautiful Like You, Look, No Big Deal, Stuck, More To Life.


	2. Katelyn King

**Basic Info:**

**Name** – Katelyn Alexis King

**Sex**– Female

**Nicknames**– Katie; Kate

**Age** – 23 (at the start of season one)

**Date of Birth** – November 3, 1979

**Astrological Sign** – Scorpio

**Personality –** Determined and forceful, emotional and insightful, powerful and passionate, secretive and sarcastic.

**Appearance –** Dark brown hair that goes past shoulders. 5'7" in height. Brown eyes.

**Likes** **–** Truth; hidden causes; being involved; work that is meaningful; deep bonds with family/friends.

**Dislikes – **Being given only surface data; taken advantage of; demeaning jobs; shallow relationships; flattery and flattering; admitting failure.

**Powers – **Temporal Stasis (Freeze Time); Orbing (Transporting); Telekinesis.

**Favorites:**

**Favorite TV Show –** Whose Line Is It Anyway?

**Favorite movie –** Fools Rush In

**Favorite book –** Lord of the Rings

**Favorite fruit –** Apples

**Favorite food –** Italian

**Favorite color –** Dark red

**Favorite type of music –** Alterative

**Favorite band(s) –** Linkin Park, Evanescence

**Favorite song(s) –** "Everybody's Fool" by Evanescence; "Part of Me" by Linkin Park; "Made of Steel" by Our Lady Peace


	3. The Beginning

There was a flash of lightning and soon after the boom of thunder. Ian King shuddered. Another storm, he thought. That night he had decided he was going to clean out the basement and then get rid of stuff the next day.  
  
He opened the door to the basement and moved on down the stairs. They creaked and groaned under his weight. Ian flipped on the light and started to rummage through some boxes.  
  
"Junk...... junk...... a baby rattle? Junk." He moved onto another box that was full of books. "Mom and Dad sure loved to read." He sighed at the thought of his parents. They had died when Ian was young. His grandma had said they died in a car accident.... but Ian wasn't so sure.  
  
Ian started to pull the books out. He got to the bottom and there was one book left. Much bigger than the others. He picked it up. It was heavy. The was a strange mark on the front. He opened the book to the first page. "Activation Spell," he read. He then started to read the page out loud.  
  
"Hear now the words of the witches, the secrets we hid in the night. The oldest of gods are invoked here; the great work of magic is sought. In this night and in this hour, I call upon the ancient powers." There was another flash of lightning and the boom of thunder. Ian jumped and then relaxed again and turned back to the book. "Weird," he said. He then read on. "Bring your power to this family three, We want the power, give us the power.  
  
"Three? There are only two of us left... " He slapped the book shut. "Just some stupid book." But there was a tingle in the stale air. Ian shivered and decided to go to bed. He made his way up the stairs and flipped off the light. He then moved on through the house to his bedroom and went to bed. The house was dark. Mostly... Back in the basement there was a faint light. The book was glowing.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Katie King woke up to the somewhat high-pitched beeping of the alarm clock. Reaching over to turn it off, she succeeded in knocking it to the floor with a bang. "At least it turned off," she muttered to herself.  
  
She rolled out of bed and puttered into the kitchen of her small apartment. Opening the fridge, she took out the eggs and started to make breakfast. She sat down at the table and started to eat when the eggs were done cooking. After taking shower, getting dressed, and all that stuff, Katie went out to her car to go to the insurance company where she worked. It took a good 25 minutes to get there with all the traffic at 6:30 in the morning.  
  
She arrived and parked her car in a spot near the door. She entered the building and pushed the button on the elevator to take her up to the 2nd floor. Soon the elevator came and she boarded it.  
  
Katie went to her cubical when she got to the 2nd floor. It was covered in paper work. "Great. Calling up people and doing paperwork. Fun," she thought to herself. Ten minutes later she was on the phone with some lady who wanted the insurance company to pay her money for a car accident. "Ma'am, we don't pay if you caused the wreck! It's your fault if you were talking on your cell phone instead of watching for a red light!"  
  
After fighting for another 5 minutes, the lady hung up on her. At noon, she decided to go out for lunch at a restaurant down the street she could walk to. When she arrived, she sat down at a table and waited for a waiter to come by.  
  
~*~*~  
  
That morning Ian had woken up late. His alarm had gone off, yes, but his body didn't tell his mind that and just turned it off and rolled over. Instead of getting up at 7:00 he jumped out of bed at 8:00.  
  
"Oh crap! Crap, crap, crap!" Of course he did not say crap.... what he said started with an S. Ian scarffed down a donut and ran out of the manor. When he got to his car he realized he needed keys to get in it. "CRAP!" Ian ran back inside and ran around trying to find his keys. He finally found them in a shoe. Why? No one knows.  
  
Once in the car he thought everything would be fine....... he was wrong. Traffic, traffic, traffic. He soon learned that honking does nothing to move the cars along. Ian finally arrived at King's Corner, which was the club he owned. He rushed in and his assistant said, "You're late.... again." Ian smirked at him.  
  
"No.... really?" He sighed and then sat down on one of the stools. "So do we have anyone playing tonight?"  
  
"No.... but I did schedule for Chad Kroger to be here in a few nights. He'll be playing Hero and a few other songs." Ian thought that over.  
  
"I like some of his stuff. That should get a good night's pay." They worked on budgeting for a few hours and then Ian decided to go out to lunch at a good resteraunt he knew. When he got there he sat down in a booth and waited for his waiter while he sipped some water.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Katie had ordered her food and was waiting for the waiter to bring it out of the kitchen when she noticed her brother enter the restaurant. She got up and walked over to his booth. "Hey. Remember me, your favorite sister in the whole world?" she said, grinning sweetly.  
  
Ian looked up. "Katie? Oh man I haven't seen you in ages!" He saw Katie's waiter come out of the kitchen. "Hey waiter!" he called. "Bring that food over here." He turned back to Katie. "So sit down." He gestured at the seat across from him.  
  
"Alrighty." Katie sat down just as the waiter was setting the food down on the table. "Thanks," she said to him. Then she looked at Ian again. "So, what have you been up to?" Ian shrugged.  
  
"Not much actually. My club has been doing well and we are having Chad Kroger there in a few nights. What about you?" Ian picked up his menu and started to look through it.  
  
"Oh nothing much. Working at a job I hate. I swear, people are...odd.. when it comes to money," she said between bites. "Well money is a big thing. No money, no life." The waiter came over and Ian ordered the chicken salad.  
  
"I know, but I got one call today from a lady wanting us to pay for a car wreck she caused while talking on the phone."  
  
Ian frowned. "She wont get anywhere with that." He then remembered what happened the night before. "Hey ya know..... I was doing some cleaning in the basement last night and I found this weird book."  
  
"Yeah? What was it about?"  
  
"I am not exactly sure. It was big and had this weird mark on the front. I opened it up and it had like.... a spell or something. Activation spell I think it was called. I mean I know Mom and Dad liked fantasy but... a book with spells?"  
  
Katie shrugged. "It could just be some weird book they got from someone. I dunno."  
  
"True.... but I read the thing out loud and got this weird feeling. ..... Oh what am I thinking. It's just a dumb book. I'll give it to goodwill or something later today." Ian's food came and he thanked the waiter and started to eat.  
  
"Yeah..." Katie said absentmindly. "You're right."  
  
Ian then had a thought. "Hey you should come to the club when Chad Kroger is there. You like his stuff, right?"  
  
"Yep. He's alright. What songs he playin?"  
  
"The only one I can remember that my assistant said was Hero. A good song." He put his fork down and took a few gulps of water.  
  
"Yeah, it is."  
  
Ian then looked at his watch. "Well I have to get back to the club. We should talk more often ya know? We haven't done that in awhile."  
  
"I gotta go too. We do have to talk more."  
  
Ian smiled, finished his salad and then stood up. He took out his wallet and put some money down on the table. "Well see ya. I'll call you."  
  
"Bye." Katie watched him leave. 'A weird book, a weird feeling...' she thought to herself. 'I wonder if it had anything to do with the weird feeling I had last night. Or it could be that I stayed up too late last night...' She paid for her lunch and started walking back to work. "Nah, It couldn't've had anything to do with the weird book.... I just stayed up too late..." Though the more she kept thinking that, the less it seemed true.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Ian arrived back to the club and it was empty. He found a note that said his assistant had gone to a parent, teacher conference. "Great.... stick me with the rest of the paper work." He worked on stuff for half an hour and started to get frustrated. "This can't be right! We didn't buy that!" He slammed his hands down on the counter and a bottle on the other side of the bar shattered. "What the.....?" He then just shook his head and continued working.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Katie was working on some paper work when the phone rang. She picked it up. "Hello?" It was the lady who wanted the insurance to pay for the wreck she caused. The lady was practically screaming. "Lady, listen!" Katie tried to calm the lady down, but she kept screaming, and it was getting on her nerves. Wishing she was somewhere else, Katie was suddenly in her apartment. "What the heck...?" she asked in amazement. She ran to the phone, looked up Ian's club number in the phone book, and called him.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Ian was sitting there still buried in budget work, when the phone rang. He got up and grabbed it. "King's Corner. May I help you?"  
  
"Ian... Something really, really weird just happened," Katie said, the worry clear in her voice.  
  
"Katie? What? What happened?" Ian was surprised to get a call from his sister after he had just seen her. And she seemed worried.  
  
"I was at work, and that lady who I told you about called and was yelling at me. I was wishing I was at home... and... I appeared at my apartment."  
  
"What? Are you sure you just didn't go home and then have a dream and wake up thinking you had..... teleported?"  
  
"Ian, I went straight to work after I left the restaurant. It wasn't a dream." Ian rubbed his forehead with his free hand.  
  
"Ok...... well something weird happened to me also."  
  
"What happened?" Katie asked quickly. She was pacing at this point.  
  
"Well I was doing work on some budgets and I got frustrated. I slammed my hands down in anger and a bottle shattered.... well exploded is more like it. I thought it had already been cracked or something but now..... I dunno. Why do you think this is happening?"  
  
"Damned if I know. Do you think... It might have something to do with that book?"  
  
"I don't know.... ok. Go back to work, and just.... act normal. No thinking of wanting to be anywhere else. And then after work come over to my place and we'll have a look at this book together. That sound ok?"  
  
"Alright... but.. umm... how do I get back there? My car is at the parking lot over there, and its too far for me to walk." Ian thought a moment and then said,  
  
"Call a taxi."  
  
"Oh.. Yeah.. Right. My brain isn't thinking properly..." Katie said sheepishly. Ian laughed.  
  
"Well be careful, ok?"  
  
"Ok. You be careful too. See ya later at your place."  
  
"Ok. Bye." Ian hung up and sighed. He didn't know what was going on, but he was going to stop it. some how.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Katie placed the phone back on the cradle and looked up the number for a taxi service. She found one, called it up, and went back downstairs to wait outside. Soon the taxi came. She told the driver where she wanted to go, then sat back in the seat, wondering what was going on.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Later that night Ian brought the book up into the living room and waited for Katie to get there. Katie got out of the car after parking it in Ian's driveway and walked up to the door. She rang the doorbell, and waited to Ian to answer. Ian heard the bell and walked briskly through the manor and into the main hall. He opened the door and there was Katie. "Hey," he said.  
  
"Hey yourself." Katie walked into the hallway, took off her coat, and hung it up on one of the pegs that were by the door. "So you got that book?"  
  
"Yeah. It's in the living room." He walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. The book lay on the table in front of him. Katie followed and sat down next to him.  
  
Katie reached over and traced the mark that was on the cover of the book. "Odd.." she murmured.  
  
"Yeah, I know." He gently took the book from her and opened it to the first page. "This is the thing I read." Katie read it silently to herself.  
  
"Hmm.. 'Give us the Power?'"  
  
Ian frowned. "The power to do what though....?"  
  
"Like I know? And look at this... 'Bring your powers to we family three.' What the heck does that mean? Mom and Dad are... gone."  
  
"And so is Grandma and grandpa...... you and I are the only ones left." Katie sighed.  
  
"This makes no sense."  
  
"I know.... let's look through more of this thing." He flipped the pages and saw more spells. Then he got to a page with a picture of.... a monster was the only explanation. "Oh god.... what is that?"  
  
Katie read the text on the other page. "A... Gavin?"  
  
"What.... the hell.... is a Gavin?"  
  
"A lower level demon who kills with his third eye in order to prevent anyone from developing the potion that will kill him... Oh, that sounds like a nice guy..."  
  
"Demon? Oh that.... that not good." Ian touched the picture his mind erupted. He saw flashes of pictures in his head and then it was over. Ian snapped back and opened his eyes.  
  
"Ian.. What happened?" Katie was worried for her brother.  
  
"I ..... I don't know. I touched that picture of the Gavin guy and then I got this flash like black and white video in my head. I saw the Gavin guy..... and a man. He was being killed....."  
  
Katie looked at Ian strangely. "Oh joy.. something else to worry about."  
  
"What do you think it means?"  
  
"I'm not sure. Maybe there's something in that." She pointed to the book.  
  
"Right." Ian flipped back to the first page. "Hey.... there is another page before this. It was just stuck." He pulled on the edge and the page unstuck. The King's Book Of Shadows, it said. Ian glanced at Katie and then looked back at the book. He read the page out loud. "The Power of the King line runs through all generations. This Book Of Shadows was started by Thomas King, Sara King, and Alanna King." Ian looked at Katie. "Those are our ancestors."  
  
"You're sure about this?" Katie raised one of her eyebrows.  
  
"Yes." Ian looked back at the book and read on. "Every spell, and every demon in this book has been added piece by piece by each generation. The King's powers pass on to every daughter and son born into this family. It has always been the same. One boy, and two girls. The males of the line are granted the powers of molecular combustion, levitation, and one of the rarest of all, premonition." Ian's mouth dropped open. "You know what molecular combustion is, right?"  
  
"Isn't that like... blowing stuff up?"  
  
"Yeah. And I did that... with the bottle. And premonition. That's seeing into the future with your mind." Ian looked at Katie. "Do you think that's what happened when I touched the picture?"  
  
"Well, I guess it makes sense. Umm... it says that every family has one boy and two girls... There's only two of us."  
  
"I know. That part doesn't make sense..... well let's just keep reading." He looked back at the book. "The oldest female of the generation has the power of temporal stasis, orbing, and telekinesis." Ian frowned. "I know what telekinesis is.... but what are those other two?"  
  
"Well, stasis is like, alive but kinda frozen-like. No idea what Orbing is... unless it's the transport thing I did earlier this afternoon."  
  
"Could be." Ian read down farther. "And the youngest child has the power of telepathy, astral projection, and healing. .... Ok is there like a description of these powers in here some where?" As soon as he said that the book glowed and a strong breeze went through the air. The pages flipped in the wind and then it all stopped. Ian looked at the page that it had landed on. "Power Dictionary....whoa."  
  
Katie read out loud, "Temporal stasis- The power to freeze time.... Ok, that could come in handy.. I guess. Orbing- Transporting from one place to another... Alrighty then..."  
  
"Ok this is getting to weird for me." Ian slammed the book shut and stood up and started to take the book back to the basement where he could put it in a box and forget about it.  
  
"Ian, maybe all this is true. I mean, it explains what happened today." Ian shook his head.  
  
"It can't be true. Demons? Witches?" He went through the manor and opened the door to the basement.  
  
Katie got up and walked over to stand next to Ian. "How did Mom and Dad die?" she asked quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I don't believe what Grandma told us. And I know you don't either."  
  
"So, what? They were killed by a demon?!"  
  
"If they were witches, it stands to reason!"  
  
"But.... but...." Ian shook his head again, flipped on the basement light, and started down the stairs.  
  
"Just because you don't want to believe it, doesn't mean its not true, ya know!" she said as she followed him downstairs.  
  
"Well if it's true then where is this sister of ours? And how come we didn't have these 'powers' before?"  
  
"Maybe... Maybe Mom had to give her up or something. Maybe she died earlier, I don't know. As for your second question, maybe our parents didn't want us to be killed too." Katie sat down on the last stair and looked up at Ian. "Ian, I have a feeling all of this is true."  
  
Ian walked over to the box he had found the book in. "It can't be," he whispered. Ian then threw the book into the box and was about to turn away when it leaped back out into Ian's hands. He dropped it and backed away.  
  
Katie tried to concentrate on getting the book to come to her. If what the book said was true, it would work. Sure enough, the book lifting up from the floor slowly, and coming in the direction of Katie. When the book was within hand distance, Katie grabbed the book from the air. "Well, now what do you think? And don't say that you didn't see that, cause I did it."  
  
"It..... it just doesn't make sense!" Ian threw out his hands in anger. Across the room an empty box exploded. "Oh god....."  
  
"Ian, it makes perfect sense now!" she said angrily. Why wouldn't her brother understand? "If you'd just believe in it, you'd see that too!"  
  
"Fine....." Ian gave in. "But if it's all true.... then what do we do about that... premonition I had?"  
  
Katie blinked, once, twice. She'd forgotten about that. "I... I'm not sure."  
  
"Ok..... I saw the Gavin demon." He shuddered at the word demon. "And he was killing this man.... by.... I dunno. It was this blue beam coming from the center of his forehead. It connected with the man's forehead and he started screaming. Well I think he was screaming. There was no sound." Ian thought and concentrated. "I also saw this building..... it was..... the local Larry's Gas Station. Yes.... It all happened behind there."  
  
"The book said we need some sort of potion to kill him though."  
  
"A potion? ..... How do we get one of those?"  
  
"Like I know?"  
  
"Well.... look in the book." Ian came and sat down next to his sister. He still didn't like all this, but he had no choice but to believe it. Katie opened the book and flipped the pages until they found one with the potion.  
  
"Mandrake root? Pig feet? ....Ew."  
  
"See? Pig feet? Doesn't make sense."  
  
"No, it's just gross."  
  
"I guess you're right. So.... where do we get this stuff?"  
  
"Uh..." she trailed off, "I'm not exactly sure..." Ian looked around.  
  
"Maybe there is some stuff down here." He got up and walked around the room looking in boxes. "Hey.... I think I found some stuff." Katie walked over to where Ian was looking in boxes.  
  
"Is it the stuff we need?  
  
"I have no idea......" He took out a jar and looked at the label. "Pigs feet. Yuck."  
  
"Yuck is right."  
  
"So does the book have directions on how to make this stuff?"  
  
"Uhh... lemme see." She went over to where she put the book down on the steps, still open on the potion page. "Yup, it does."  
  
"Well I guess we make this potion.... and then what?"  
  
"Then we kill him, I guess."  
  
"So.... we go to Larry's Gas Station and find the demon. But...... do we just throw the potion? What if we have to fight?"  
  
"Well, we kinda don't have control of our... umm.. powers. And I don't know how to do any of that martial arts stuff."  
  
"I do.... kinda. I took a few years of it awhile back."  
  
"That helps then."  
  
"Well. You make this potion thing. I am not touching pigs feet."  
  
"Wimp," Katie muttered. She went over to the box they found the stuff in and pulled out a big metal pot. "Well then."  
  
"Don't we need fire?"  
  
"Yup. Might help a bit."  
  
"Then let's go up to the kitchen." Ian grabbed the book and started up the stairs. Katie got up and followed her brother up the stairs with the pot in her arms.  
  
"You know, you should be the one carrying this."  
  
"I should..... But I won't." He chuckled and led her into the kitchen.  
  
"Mean," she muttered under her breath as she put the pot on the counter. Ian took the pot and put it on the burner.  
  
"Ok. Here goes." He listed off the ingredients and Katie put them in the pot with some water. They let it simmer and then distributed it into two small bottles that they had found with others in the box with the potion stuff. "Alright. Let's go to where this guy should be and..... do what we can. Ready?" He stuffed the bottle into his pocket.  
  
"No. But I don't really have a choice."  
  
"Well you were the one who wanted to believe this stuff." He grabbed his coat and started to walk out the door. Katie followed him without even bothering to get her coat.  
  
"True. But I don't feel like fighting some demon... guy... on the first night I found out about all this!"  
  
"Well we can't let the guy I saw in my vision get killed, now can we?" He opened the drivers side and got in and started the car.  
  
"I know I know..." she muttered while sliding into the passenger side. Ian backed the car out and started down the street. A few minutes later they arrived at Larry's Gas Station. Ian parked and the two got out.  
  
"Ok it was around back. Let's go." They walked around to the back and Katie leaned on the wall.  
  
"Do you know when they're coming?"  
  
"No idea." Just then a door opened from the back of the building and a man came out carrying a trash bag. "That's him," Ian whispered. The man paid no attention to them and threw the bag into the dumpster. He was about to go back inside when Gavin appeared out of no where. "Oh!," Ian cried. The demon looked at them but turned back to the other man.  
  
"What the hell?" the guy said.  
  
"That's Gavin!" Ian said to Katie. Katie tried freezing the Gavin and the man with a gesture, hoping somehow it would work. It didn't the first time, but she tried again and it did.  
  
"Hey... Me pretty good," she said. "Ian, throw the potion!" Ian fumbled to get the potion out. He finally got it and was about to throw it when Gavin unfroze.  
  
"Uh oh......" The demons head glowed blue and a bright beam leaped out and came right at them. "Ah! Duck!" Ian dropped to the ground and rolled. Katie jumped to the side.  
  
"Are you going to throw that potion or just lie there?" Ian stood back up and threw the potion, but Gavin disappeared.  
  
"Crap! Now we have to go get more. At least that wasn't the whole batch." The man that they had just saved was still frozen. "Should we just leave him there?"  
  
"Ummm.. Well.. I don't think so. Of course, I have feeling that if we unfreeze him, he'll start asking questions."  
  
"Most likely. Maybe.... if we just leave he will think it was a hallucination."  
  
"That'll work. You think it'll wear off? The freezing." Ian shrugged.  
  
"It did with Gavin."  
  
"He's a demon," Katie reminded him.  
  
"True. Well..... let's just go around the corner and you..... undo it."  
  
Katie snorted. "If I can." But she followed Ian around the corner. Gesturing, she was surprised to find that it worked on the first try. "Cool."  
  
"Yeah. Now let's go back to my place and get some more of that potion." Ian turned towards his car and started walking in it's direction.  
  
"Ian, you forget you gave a bottle to me. I left it in the car though."  
  
"Oops......" He turned back to her. "But the guy's gone... so what do we do?" Katie shrugged. Ian thought for a moment. "Alright... I have a plan. Follow me!" He turned again and went to his car and unlocked it.  
  
"Are we going somewhere, or just sitting in the car?" Katie asked as she walked over.  
  
"We are going back to my place and seeing if that book can some how..... summon that demon to us."  
  
"Wow. Big brother is actually getting into the spirit," Katie teased. She opened the passenger side of the door and slid into the seat. Ian started the car.  
  
"I am not....... I'm just using my resources."  
  
"Yes you are," she retorted.  
  
"Am not, and that is the end of it." He pulled out of the parking lot and started towards home.  
  
"Fine....Be that way." Ian flashed her a smile. "I will." Katie rolled her eyes and sat back in the seat.  
  
~*~*~  
  
They arrived home a few minutes later and Ian got out of the car and tromped up to the house. Katie walked up to the house next to Ian, asking, "So, what ya think we'll find in the book? A way to find out where he is?"  
  
"I don't know. But there has to be something." Ian opened the door and walked into the kitchen where they left the book. He went over to it and started to flip through it's pages.  
  
Katie sat down across the table and looked at the book upside down. "What 'bout that?" she asked, putting her finger on the page before Ian could go past it. Ian looked down at it.  
  
"It says..... To Find a Demon: When a demon needs to be found, use your searching crystal and a map. Say the name of whom you wish the find and rotate the crystal over the map until you get a position." Ian looked up at Katie. "What crystal and what map?"  
  
Katie shrugged. "I dunno. I'm new at this, remember. Maybe it's in that box?"  
  
"Right." Ian got up and went down to the basement. He searched in the box he found some of the other things in. "Hey I think I found them!" He came up with a large laminated map and a crystal that hung on a black string.  
  
"Huh. Well... should you do it, or should I?" Ian sighed.  
  
"I will." He set the map on the kitchen table and started to rotate the crystal around and around. Ian then said the demon's name. "Gavin." He then felt the string start to tug. It them hit the map and stuck to one part like a magnet. Ian looked at the address. "Ok.... It say the demon is...... oh god."  
  
"What? Where?"  
  
Ian gulped. "It says.... that he's here."  
  
"And never say demon followed by 'oh god'.......WHAT?!" Katie stood up quickly, knocking her chair to the floor. Ian stood straight and looked around. Gavin was standing in the entrance to the kitchen.  
  
"Surprise," he said.  
  
"Katie? Where's the potion I gave you?!," Ian yelled.  
  
"It's still in the car!" Ian swore to himself. Gavin smiled at them.  
  
"Looks like I win. It's always fun to kill newbies." Ian smirked.  
  
"You haven't won yet!" He threw his hands open in a sharp gesture. There was a flash of reddish light and Gavin was flung back into a bookcase. "Dang! Isn't he supposed to blow up?!"  
  
"Umm... yes... Try again!" Gavin stood and Ian gestured again. The demon was slammed back down and there was a flash of sparks.  
  
"Well, he might not blow up, but this is good enough!" Ian turned to Katie. "Go get the potion.... I'll hold him off." Katie ran out the door of the mansion and to the car. She wrenched open the door and grabbed the potion that she had set on the dashboard. Then she ran back into the house and threw it at the Gavin guy. Ian had just slammed Gavin to the ground again when Katie ran in and threw the potion. It hit Gavin and he screamed out. Fire consumed him and he exploded.... vaporized.  
  
"Wow..... Didn't think it would be that cool."  
  
"Ah, but it was, my dear brother," Katie said with a grin.  
  
Ian looked around. "Oh man.... I'm gonna have to clean all this up."  
  
"Better you than me."  
  
"Uh huh.... well Katie... I was thinkin...."  
  
"No."  
  
"You don't even know what I was gonna say!"  
  
"You were gonna ask if I would help out, right?"  
  
"No. I was thinking that since this.... stuff is gonna be pretty dangerous.... and since you live all the way across town... and it sometimes gets lonely here....."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Katie asked. "Oooh.... I get it..." She shrugged, "Sure, why not?"  
  
"So you'll move in?"  
  
"Yeah, sure."  
  
"Cool." He put one arm around his sister and said, "All this demon killin is making me hungry..... wanna order a pizza?"  
  
"Oh yeah! Let's see if this'll work..." Katie gestured and the cordless phone that on the counter rose up a few inches and started to come toward her. But after a foot, it clattered to the ground. "Oops..."  
  
"If that's broken, you are buying me a new one."  
  
"It's not broken..." she said, rolling her eyes. She walked over and bent over to pick up the phone. Pushing the talk button, she dialed the number. "What toppings ya want?" Ian sat down on a stool. "Pepperoni and green peppers."  
  
"Alrighty..." A pizza person answered the phone. "Hi.... Yeah.. I'd like a medium pizza.. pepperoni and green peppers.... twenty minutes? Alright." Katie hung up the phone. "Twenty minutes," she said, picking up the chair she knocked over eariler and sitting on it.  
  
"What place did you call?"  
  
"Umm.. Whatcha call it...?"  
  
"Dominos?"  
  
"Yeah, that."  
  
"Cool. They're the best."  
  
"Yep. So what do we do while we wait?"  
  
"Clean." He smiled and then went to get a mop.  
  
~*~*~  
  
A few nights later, after a long day of moving Katie's stuff, they sat in Ian's club and watched Chad Kroger play his song, Hero. Katie grinned at Ian, and tapped her foot along with the beat.  
  
"And they say that a hero can save us I'm not gonna stand here and wait..! I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles, watch as they all fly away! And they're watching us, they're watching us, As we all fly away.. And they're watching us, they're watching us... As we all fly away.. And they're watching us, they're watching us, As we all fly away...."  
  
As the song ended, Ian clapped hard. Then as the applause faded away and another song began, Ian turned to Katie and lifted up his drink. "Now I'm not saying that I like all this... magic stuff, but I guess I will have to get used to it. Here's to our first demon vanquish..... kinda has a nice ring to it."  
  
Katie grinned wider and lifted up her drink to make a toast. "Here's to our first vanquish," she agreed They clinked bottles and then turned back to the band 


	4. Spellbound

"Alright! Where are you, you demon! I want you out of my house and into hell!" Ian searched around the house, looking for something out of place. 

He had had a vision of a demon attacking that morning and killing them. Ian and Katie King had just found out that they were witches. Yet since it was their true selves, they took to the new life pretty quickly. 

It had been two weeks since they had vanquished Gavin and were coming into their powers. Katie was now able to orb pretty well and Ian was getting some control over his power of molecular combustion. Now this was their second encounter with a demon, and they had to be ready. 

The Book had said that Chameleon demons can look like anything but are usually not very smart. 

"Ian... Look," Katie whispered, jerking her head toward the couch. Ian spun his head. 

"What about it?," he hissed. 

"Well, it looks... different." Ian looked closer. 

"Are you sure? Wait... the pattern does look funny. Wait a second..... I never had a pattern on my couch!" Ian gestured sharply and the couch exploded, stuffing spilling everywhere. "Oh.... I guess I did." He turned back to Katie. "Look for something.... that wasn't here before. But ask first so we don't kill anymore couches." 

"You're the one that killed it!" Katie said, walking into the kitchen. Ian started up the stairs. 

"You were the one who said it looked different!" he yelled over his shoulder. 

"I just moved here awhile ago!" she called defensively. Katie walked through the kitchen and into the parlor. Ian shook his head and walked into his room, where he kept the Book. 

"Come out demon. We don't want to hurt you.... we just wanna vanquish ya." Ian looked at his bed. "Seems normal to me." He then started listing off the things in his room. "Ok...... bed, dresser, night stand, black lamp, mirror- wait. Black lamp? I don't have a.... uh oh." The chameleon demon changed forms and tackled Ian. "Ah! Katie.... help!" 

Katie jerked her head up towards the stairs. After a half a second hesitation, she started running up the stairs and burst into Ian's room. She saw the demon on top of Ian and swung her arm. The demon was knocked off Ian and to the floor. Katie had been hoping to send him flying, but her power was new. 

Ian gasped for air, since the demon had been choking him. He stumbled to his feet and grabbed the vanquishing spell out of his pocket. There was a red flash of light that blinded him for a second, but it faded. Ian blinked and shook his head. "Katie get over here and read the spell with me." The chameleon demon started to get to his feet, so they had to work fast. Katie jogged over to stand next to him. "Ready?" Katie nodded. 

They began to read. "Demon hiding in plain sight, I use this spell with all my might, to stop your changing form and shape, This vanquish spell will seal your fate" The demon screamed out in pain and then exploded in a blinding flash. 

Ian smiled. "We are getting the hang of this. Two demons down." He then walked over to his bed and took the BOS out from under it. "And I am starting to like this Book. So much stuff in it...." Katie went over to sit on the bed. 

"Hmm... Only a little while ago you didn't want to have anything to do with this." Ian stood and then sat next to her. 

"I know... but we have vanquished two demons now, are getting a small hold on our powers, and we have this Book full of spells. We can make our lives so much easier with this thing." 

"I don't think that's such a good idea..." 

"Why not? It's ours. And we are not evil. I say that we use what we have." Ian opened the book and started to flip through it. 

"What if someone notices?" 

"Well.... they wont." He turned another page. "And if they do...... we can just use this mind erasing spell." Katie sighed and shook her head. 

"....What were you hoping to do, anyway?" 

"Well..... The inspector for the club is coming over today, and so I thought I could just... persuade him to think that everything is fine." 

"With a spell? Ian, you don't _need_ a spell for him to think that. Your club is doing great." 

"Well there has been some roof leakage and it's creating this... moss. And I don't have time to get rid of it so..... if I can't get him to leave before he sees that.... then I just might make him... forget." Ian got up and went over to the dresser and set the book down.

"What harm would it be anyway? I'll get rid of that moss stuff and everything will be fine." 

"I still don't think it's a good idea." 

"Well fine.... but you know it could help you also. You could make your job a lot easier with this book." Katie shifted uneasily on the bed and pretended to examine her fingernails. 

"I kinda... quit," she muttered. Ian spun around.   
"You quit?! What were you thinking?" 

"I hated the job!" she said, looking at Ian. "People screaming in your ear, doing paperwork day in, day out... you'd get sick of it too!" 

"I guess I would.... but with this baby," he patted the book, "you wouldn't have any more trouble." Ian walked back over to the bed and sat down. "So what are you going to do now?" 

She shrugged. "I'm not sure yet." 

"Well with another person living here, we can't live on just my salary.... unless." He jumped up. "Why didn't I think of it before? Maybe there is a money making spell in the book!" He ran over to the dresser and started to page through the BOS. 

Katie walked over to the dresser and slammed the book shut. "What is wrong with you?" 

"What do you mean what's wrong with me? Nothing's wrong." He pushed her gently aside and picked up the book again, bringing it over to the bed. He opened it and flipped rapidly through it's pages. "Let's see.... demon.... demon.... love potion? That could be useful....." 

Katie held out her hands and the Book came to her. "There is something definitely wrong with you. It's like you're... obsessed." Ian looked up at her. 

"I am not obsessed. Now give that back!" 

"No," she said calmly, and strode out the door toward her room. 

Ian walked briskly after her. "Give it back!" 

"I said no. There's no reason for you to use it!" She entered her room and closed the door in Ian's face, locking it. 

"You can't keep me out like that." Ian then kicked the door open. "Now Katie. Give... me... the... Book. Now." 

Katie backed up, the Book still in her arms. "Look at you. You open my door for the Book. This ain't you." 

Ian stopped. "You're right.... what's wrong with me?" He sat down on her bed. "Man.... Katie I am sorry. I didn't mean to do what I did." 

Katie walked over to sit next to Ian on the bed and put the book down between them. "It's alright." 

"Well. I gotta get ready to go to the club." Ian got up and left the room and headed to his own, leaving Katie sitting there with the book. Katie lied back on the bed. 

"Well, that was odd," she muttered to herself. Ian stopped halfway to his room and looked back at Kate's. He then snuck into the hall closet and shut the door except for a crack. He would wait for Katie to leave. 

Katie got up after a few moments and walked out of the bedroom and headed down the stairs. 

Ian saw Katie leave and then came out of the closet. He sneaked into her room and grabbed the BOS. Ian smiled to himself and then quickly walked to his room. He opened the window, and then let the book drop. It landed on the grass. Ian then turned and went downstairs. "Bye Katie!" he called, and went outside. Ian then grabbed the book, hopped

in his car, and started it up. 

Katie grabbed a pudding snack and went back upstairs to her room. The book wasn't there. "....Shoulda seen that coming," she said, sitting on the bed. 

~*~*~

Ian arrived at the club and went inside with the book. The inspector was already there. "Oh, hello sir." He shook hands with the inspector. 

"Well let's see what this place is like. I've heard it's nice. But have to check for anything." 

"Oh we don't need to do that. The place is fine. Here just sit down a moment and I'll get you a drink." He went behind the bar and then started to page through the book. But the Inspector shook his head. 

"No.... I have to get to work. He started to look around the club." Ian watched him and then quickly walked over to where the mold had formed. He held the book up and read a spell. 

"Let the object of objection become but a dream, as I cause the scene to be unseen." The mold vanished. "Ah.... good vanishing spell." 

The inspector walked up to him. "What's that?" 

Ian turned. "Nothing. So is the place in order?" 

"Seems to be." 

"Good. Then I'll see you next time." The inspector left. Ian quickly went over to the phone and called Katie. 

~*~*~

Katie heard the phone ringing and jumped up from the living room couch. She picked it up. "Hullo?" 

"Hey. You were wrong. I used a vanishing spell on the mold, and it worked perfectly. The inspector cleared me and then left." 

"Ian! How.. Why... Did he notice?" 

"No. Of course not. I did it when he was inspecting the bathrooms." 

"...Right. Is there anything else?" 

"No. I just wanted to tell you that you were wrong." He then hung up and turned back to the book. "Let's see what else we can do." 

"I'm going to hurt him so bad..." Katie said to herself. She quickly ran to her car and sped over to the club. "IAN! Ian, where are you?" Ian looked up from the Book, which sat at the bar. 

"Oh hey sis. I was just about to summon No Doubt and 'persuade' them to play here tonight." 

"Okay, isn't that like... mean?" Katie stormed over to the bar. 

"Why? I am just making the deal easier. Plus it's a great band. The people would be flowing in here." He flipped through the pages some more. "Now I just need to... edit this demon summoning spell a little to summon a regular person." 

"No. It wouldn't be right," she said calmly. "Now stop acting pig headed, using magic to get stuff the easy way!" 

"Well why shouldn't it be that way? Now why don't you just go home?" Ian then began the spell to summon No Doubt. "Magic forces black and white, Reaching out through space and light, Be they far or be they near, bring to me the band No Doubt here." There was the flash of white lights and No Doubt stood in the middle of the room. 

"What the hell?" was the first thing out of Gwen's mouth. 

Katie glared at Ian in pure rage. "I cannot believe you are my brother," she said coldly.   
"Neither can I... " He then turned to No Doubt. "Hey, welcome to King's Corner. I am Ian, the owner of this place and was thinking you could play here tonight." Gwen looked at Ian. 

"How did we get here?" 

"Oh that doesn't matter. No to make this easy..... These words will travel through the minds, Of stubborn parties and unbind, The thoughts to rigid to be kind, A compromise they'll disentwine." Ian looked up. "Now will you play here tonight?" 

Gwen smiled. "Sure! Let's rock on!" 

Ian grinned and whispered to himself, "Alright... my compromise spell worked." 

Katie went and sat at the bar, head in her hands. She was muttering to herself. "I cannot believe he just did that..." 

"Ok! Be back here tonight. Tour the town if ya wish." He then sat back down and opened the book. "What to do next?" 

"Alright, that's it!" Katie said when No Doubt left. She grabbed the Book and quickly orbed back to her car. Starting the engine, Katie sped off towards home. 

"Oh Katie, you just made a big mistake." He stormed out of the club and got into his car and began to speed home. But halfway there a police car pulled him over. 

~*~*~

Katie opened the door of the manor and stomped up to her room. After hiding the BOS, she lied back in bed and started reading, waiting for Ian to get home. 

~*~*~

The cop came up to the window and said, "Do you know why I pulled you over?" 

Ian looked at the man and smirked. "Because you're an ass who eats lots of donuts and thinks he can lose some weight by walking from his car to mine?" 

The officer got real angry. "Alright, get out of the car!" 

"Fine by me," Ian said. He got out and immediately slammed his foot into the officer, knocking him down. The man pulled his gun, but Ian made a sharp gesture with one hand, and the gun exploded. "Oh no. I'm a fat officer who has lost my gun. The best I can do is make a fart bomb! Whah whah whah!" The officer just stared at where his gun used to be. Ian laughed and then got back into his car and sped away. 

A few minutes later he arrived back at the house. Ian barged in and yelled, "Kate! Give me the book!" 

Katie sat up. "No. I'm gonna keep telling you the same thing, so you'd best save you're breath," she said to herself. Ian stomped up the stairs and kicked open Katie's door, which hadn't been fixed. "Do you like doing that?" 

"Yes. Now give me the Book or..." He blew up her lamp. "Or that will be you." 

"You wouldn't do that." 

"Are you so sure?" He then blew up the window. 

"Yeah, I am." Katie got up to stand in front of him. "You know how I know? Because you're my big brother who protects me. At least, the one I knew did. Now though, I'm not so sure. The brother I know wouldn't hurt me." 

Ian stared at her. Then he raised his hands and was about to destroy her when, "NO! I will not hurt my sister!" Electricity seemed to run over him and then a ball of red light shot out of Ian and then changed into a demon. "I guess I was not strong enough to get you to destroy your sister. But you did enough. The police should be here soon." He laughed an evil laugh, and then disappeared. Ian looked stunned. "What the hell was that?!" 

"...You were possessed?" 

"....The last thing I remember was getting to my feet after the chameleon demon attacked.... and then now I'm here." 

Katie chuckled. "Well, I'm happy that it wasn't you doing all of those things." She sat back down on the bed and looked up at Ian. "Scared me for a bit there." 

"Sorry?" He smiled and sat next to her. "But.... what did he mean by the police coming here?" **BAM BAM BAM**. 

"Open up! It's the police!" Came the call from downstairs. 

"I think _that's_ what he meant..." She sighed and got back up. Going downstairs and opening the door, she said politely to the cops, "Hello. May I help you?" 

"A man attacked one of our police officers. He then sped off. We got his license plate number and got the address for this place. And his car is outside. Now where is he?!" 

"Uhhh..... Would you like to come in?" 

The police frowned and pushed past her. "Nice place.... I mean where is he?!" 

"Hold on a moment, please." Katie smiled politely and ran upstairs. "Ian! The cops are looking for you," she hissed as soon as she entered her bedroom. 

"Oh no...... what do I do? Wait.... the Book. I have an idea. Where is it?" 

"Ian... this all started _because_ of the Book!" 

"Yes I know! But I need to find that demon in there and find out if there is a way to set this straight." 

"Fine..." Katie pulled the Book out from the top shelf in her closet and set it on the bed. "Not the best hiding place, I know." She grinned crookedly. 

Ian began to page through it and found what he was looking for. "Kralor.... low level possessor demon who possesses witches and other beings so that he may destroy them from the inside out. Once vanquished all wrong doings done since the possession will be set to right." 

"How do we destroy it?" 

"Ummm..... there's no vanquishing spell or potion." 

"Well, that helps," she said sarcastically. 

"We have to make our own spell. And some of my memory is coming back. I remember what I did to the cop, and how I got No Doubt here. So I was thinking that we can use that summoning spell to get him here." 

"Alright... What was it?" 

"I'm gettin there," Ian said, thinking hard. He then heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. "Crap..... stop them, somehow. I'll start the spell." 

Katie nodded and walked out to the top of the stairs. "Uhh... He'll be right out..." she said to the officers. 

The officers started to push past her. "He attacked an officer... I doubt he will come out." 

She froze the officers and went back her room. "Hurry up, Ian!" 

"Ok, ok..... Magic Forces black and white, reaching out through space and light, be he far or be he near, bring us the demon Kralor here." There was a flash of light, and Kralor stood in front of them. "Hello again," Ian said. He pulled back his fist and then punched Kralor in the jaw. The demon stumbled back. "Ok... spell.... spell...... I got one. You freeze him, I'll write the spell." Katie nodded and then waved her hands, freezing the demon. Ian grabbed a notepad off Kate's dresser and wrote down the spell. He stood next to Kate just as Kralor unfroze. "Ready?" 

"Yep." The two then began the spell together. 

"Bodies you shall invade no more, now let us even the score, die now, we vanquish you, Kralor." Kralor screamed out in pain, and vaporized in a blaze of flame. 

"Well.... not the best spell," Ian said. Then the room started to spin. Faster and faster... and then... FLASH! They were back in Ian's bedroom. Residue from the Chameleon demon just vanquished, was there. "Um..... what happened?" 

Katie walked to the door and looked down the hall. "I think we just went back to this morning..." 

"Weird...." 

"There's no frozen police men out there," she said. 

"And that demon residue is fresh..... Well the book was right. Everything would be set right once Kralor was destroyed. 

"Well, I for one didn't think we would go back in time. I just thought that everything would... disappear. 

"Well..... magic works in weird ways." 

"Good point." Katie went over and sat on the bed. Ian smiled and then turned to walk out of the room. Katie rolled her eyes and followed Ian out. "You're making breakfast!"   
"Oh no I'm not. I have a call to make... " He winked at her and then continued on. 

"Oh yes you are. I always make breakfast." She grinned. "So... who ya calling?" 

Ian reached the kitchen and grabbed the phone. "I'm gonna call No Doubt's agent, and I'm gonna see if I can get them for the club." He saw Katie give him a hard stare. "Don't worry. No magic is involved." 

Katie raised an eyebrow. Shrugging, she went over to the fridge and pulled out an egg carton and a gallon of milk. "Eggs?" 

Ian shook his head. "I think I have lost my appetite for the day..."

~*~*~

A few days later they were sitting in the club, listening to the band No Doubt. Yes, Ian had done it. He had gotten them to play at his club. "The Waves keep on crashing on me for some reason. And who woulda thought it be the two of us???" Gwen Steffanie continued to sing, and Ian turned to Katie. 

"Well, what ya think?" 

"Well, No Doubt isn't my favoritist band, but they're ok," she replied. 

"When you are around me it better be your favorite." He grinned at her and then turned back to the band. 

"Ya got me feelin hella good, so let's just keep on dancin! You want me like you should, so let's just keep on dancin..."


	5. A War To Remember

Ian tried to see through the windshield but the rain was coming down hard. He couldn't turn on the wipers cause that would alert others to their presence. "See anything?" he said to Katie next to him.  
  
"Nothing," Katie replied, squinting, also trying to look through the windshield. "Ever notice that when we least need rain, a storm always comes?"  
  
Ian nodded. "Yeah, I have. Just our luck huh?"  
  
"Yup. Figures, huh?" She sat back. "So when you think that demon'll come?"  
  
"Well in my premonition I saw rain, dark, and just before the demon came I saw a red car. That's all I got." He looked over at Katie. "It just started raining a little bit ago, so he should be here soon."  
  
"If you say so. But what's the hurry? We're having the time of our lives..." she said sarcastically.  
  
"Oh yeah..... we're having a ball." Just then Ian saw a red car drive past. "I think it's time. Keep an eye out for a big tall demon. Run of the mill type actually."  
  
"Like always." Katie saw something through all the rain. "... Did you see that?"  
  
Ian squinted. "See what?"  
  
"I dunno! I just saw something. Which, by the way, is kinda hard to identify through all this rain!" Her voice rose a little. "...Sorry."  
  
"It's fine." He squinted again and said, "Well.... I see something now. Big tall guy.... walking in the dead of the night. Must be him. Let's go." Ian opened his door and got out of the car. He then moved towards the man, who had stopped at the corner leading into the ally.  
  
Katie muttered under her breath about the rain and followed Ian. "I'm starting to really hate the rain," she muttered to herself.  
  
Ian smiled and then stopped, about ten feet away from the man. "Kinda strange for someone to be out this late on a rainy night."  
  
The demon whirled around to face them. "Like you are?" he snarled.  
  
"Well we have reason. What's yours?"  
  
"None of your business." He turned back around. Raising his hands, he started to chant a spell.  
  
"Well, now what?" Katie glanced at Ian, then looked back at the demon.  
  
"We kick some demon ass!" Ian gestures and there is a flash of red light and the demon is knocked forward to the ground. "Uh oh. Not good."  
  
"Smart one."  
  
The demon yelled the last words of the spell and a portal opened.  
  
"What the hell is that?!?"  
  
"Oh, like I know?!" Katie yelled. The demon jumps in. "Do you think we should follow him?"  
  
"Well who knows where it leads? This could be a trap."  
  
"Or, if you look on the bright side, it could be the land of Disney!"  
  
"Oh yes, that is exactly where a demon would go. ..... But we don't have much time. Go through the portal.... don't go through the portal. Is there a third option?"  
  
"Not that I know of."  
  
Ian looked around. "Ok let's do this. We go through the portal. Come on!" Ian then ran forward and jumped into the bright hole that hung in mid-air.  
  
Katie followed Ian through the portal and fell to the ground on the other side. Looking around, she noticed that they were in a forest type place. "Ok, Ian... Where are we?"  
  
Ian grunts and then stands up. "A forest?"  
  
"Oh. Yeah. I couldn't tell by all the trees!"  
  
Ian smiled and then looked around. "Do you see the demon anywhere?" he asked.  
  
"No, I don't." Katie stood up and looked around. "Nor do I see any huge buildings like those in our city."  
  
"Yeah... that is a problem." He then heard something in the distance. "Hey! Listen....... I hear shouts. And gun shots!"  
  
"Well, that's never good. C'mon. Let's go see what's going on." Katie walked through the forest toward the sound, not waiting for Ian.  
  
Ian scowled and went after her. After a minute of walking they came to a clearing and their mouths dropped open. In the clearing were a bunch of people in blue and red uniforms fighting each other to the death. There were horses, pitch forks, and even a small canon. "Tell me I am seeing things."  
  
"If you are, I'm seeing the same thing as you."  
  
"Why are they dressed like that? And why are they fighting?"  
  
"If memory serves me right, those uniforms are dated back to the Revolutionary War."  
  
"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" Ian tried to wipe away the surprise that was on his face. But just then they saw a guy in red turn towards them, yell, and hold up his gun. "Crap! Katie freeze him!" Ian said, hitting her lightly.  
  
Katie raised her hands and tried to freeze the guy, but it didn't work. "Dang it! What's wrong with my power?"  
  
The man pulled the trigger. "Oh no... duck!" He pulled Katie down just as the bullet flew over their heads and hit a tree.  
  
"Ok..... It seems we went back in time... and don't have our powers. Maybe we should have gone with the second option of NOT going through the portal."  
  
"Yeah, and the demon would probably do... something... bad!"  
  
"Well you have a point there. But see right now we only have one option..... run!" Ian jumped up and started to run. There were more shots and they seemed REALLY close.  
  
"Come on Katie!" he yelled over his shoulder.  
  
Katie followed Ian, trying to catch up with him. "Where exactly are we going?"  
  
"Anywhere but here!"  
  
~*~*~  
  
They reached a cropping of bushes and Ian dived in, dragging Katie with him. "You ok?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine. Just a little outta breath," she said between gasps.  
  
Ian listened for a second and the shots faded away. "Ok.... I think we're safe..... for now. But first we have to figure out one thing. What the hell happened?!?"  
  
"I told you! We're probably in the middle of a battle for the war of independence! And, I think, we just got attacked by the red coats, which are the British people!"  
  
"Well history was not my thing in school! I was an English guy. Now.... next item on the list. What do we do?"  
  
"I dunno, Ian," she said. Katie lied on the ground and looked up at the sky. "You're the one who's good at making plans, here."  
  
"My plans are always the same. Run in screaming, blow up the bad guys, go home."  
  
"Somehow I have a feeling that won't help any. And with my freezing power not working, that probably means that the rest of mine, AND yours, aren't working either."  
  
Ian winced. "Oh that not good." He sat there a moment and then said, "Ok.... here's my PLAN. We find the demon, foil his unknown plans, ......then tap our shoes three times and say, 'There's no place like home.'" Katie gave him a look. "Hey it worked for Dorothy."  
  
"Ok, number one, that was a stupid MOVIE! Number two, how are we going to stop a demon with no POWERS?" Katie rolled her eyes. "Think about it. We may not have our powers, but the demon will most likely have his. Meaning it won't be easy to destroy him."  
  
"Hmm..... yes there is a defect to my plan."  
  
"I'd say so," she said dryly.  
  
"Well let's think. Why would the demon want to come back to the time of this war?"  
  
"Ummm.... To do something demonic?"  
  
"Well obviously..... but why here?" Ian put his rested his chin on his hand as he always did when he was thinking really hard.  
  
Katie cocked her head to the side. "You know, you look a lot like that statue that you see in museums."  
  
"Oh why thank you. I have always thought I had an artistic talent." He smiled at her and then went back to thinking.  
  
"Ok, the fact that you look like a statue is nothing to be proud of." Katie thought for a moment. "Uhh... Ian?"  
  
Ian looked up. "Yeah?"  
  
"Umm... Who won the war for America?"  
  
"Well lots of people helped out, but I think the main man was GW. George Washington. But as I said before, history isn't my strong point."  
  
"I see that. Well, what do you think would happen if GW died?"  
  
"We would prolly lose. Since he was the one who lead that major ambush across that one river. So yeah we would...... oh." Ian's face went a little pale. "You don't think?"  
  
Katie sat up and nodded. "Yes, I do think. And if that happens, history will be rewritten, and everything would.... well.... not be good."  
  
"Oh man.... we would be drinking tea every fricken day!"  
  
Katie raised her eyebrow. "I think that would be the least of our problems, Ian. If GW is killed, we may not even be born!"  
  
"Oh. Right.... now that would be bad. If we weren't born... then all the demons we have vanquished would be alive." Ian shook his head. "We can't let that happen."  
  
"Right. So...."  
  
"So we go out there... find GW.... and protect him. But.... we have a little problem. We can't just walk up to him first of all, and then secondly.... what are we gonna tell him? 'Hi we're from the future and are here to protect you since a demon, yes a demon, is gonna come and kill you.' That would work great."  
  
"I doubt that the army he is commanding would even let us near him."  
  
"Prolly not. But we have to try. And we have to change our clothes or we will have no chance."  
  
"Ok, but you know I hate wearing dresses, which is what women of this century wear."  
  
"True. But it is either that or be shot."  
  
Katie groaned as she realized something. "And also, woman were basically confined to the house. Well, you know what I mean. It may seem a little odd to the people around here if I start going around in the middle of an army."  
  
"Right.... well we will tell them you're a nurse. ..... And that you need to give GW a check-up."  
  
"Uh huh... One problem. I have no medical equipment."  
  
"Oh please..... this is olden times. Get a stick and a few leaves and they will think you have a Major in medical."  
  
"True, they don't have the things that our doctors use, but they are not THAT primitive."  
  
"Oh.... right. Heh heh...." Ian stood up. "Well we can't sit here forever. It looks like really late fall...... and it's cold. GW crossed that river in the winter. That could be very soon." He looked up at the sky. "Could be tonight.... looks like it could snow."  
  
"Maybe. Umm... I kinda have a question. Where are we gonna get clothes?"  
  
"We have to find a town and buy some..... oh wait. We don't have the right money. You think maybe just this once we could be bad and steal some clothes?"  
  
"I think so. I mean, it's not like we have any choice here."  
  
"Yep. That's what I say." Ian looked around and said, "Now if I were a town.... where would I be?"  
  
"Since you or I have never been a town, and have no intention of becoming one, although I wouldn't put it past some strong demon guy, we wouldn't know."  
  
"Ok that's not helping."  
  
"Neither is anything else around here."  
  
"True."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Ian then closed his eyes and spun in a slow circle. After a minute he stopped, opened his eyes, and pointed in the direction he was facing. "That way."  
  
"Do you confuse yourself when you do that?"  
  
"Of course. Now come on....." He pushed out of the bushes and then started to walk the way he had pointed. East, he thought it was.  
  
Katie rolled her eyes and followed Ian. "You know, there better be a town this way, or I am so going to hurt you."  
  
"I'll help." He turned and winked at Katie, and then continued on.  
  
She muttered something under her breath as she ducked under a low tree branch. "And when we DO find Washington, what are we going to tell him?"  
  
"Well if I can remember correctly, Washington was in need of soldiers at this time. So I think he will be very happy if we tell him that we want to join."  
  
"You know, anything we do might totally change history. And, believe me, that's not a good thing."  
  
"Well if we don't do anything then GW could be killed and we could just disappear off the face of the earth."  
  
"Ok... Good point."  
  
Ian stopped and squinted through the fading light. "I think I see some houses." He gave Katie a light punch. "Not so bad, am I?"  
  
Katie punched him back. "Oh hush. I'd like to see you steal some clothes without getting caught."  
  
"I think I can do it. This should be a piece of cake compared to battling demons."  
  
"Sure it is. If you're lucky, some will be hanging out on the line." Katie paused. "I think only one of us should go. Less noise, ya know? And I nominate you! Try not to get me an ugly dress, please."  
  
Ian gave Katie a nasty look. "Are you sure you're a good witch? 'Cause right now I am positive that you are evil."  
  
Katie grinned. "Yeah, I'm good. I just like picking on you."  
  
"Yes. I noticed that."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Ian then turned and walked towards the houses. It was getting really cold. They would need more than just the regular look. When he got to the outer edge he stopped and looked around. "No one here", he said to himself. "Good."  
  
Ian moved down the street and saw a goods store. It was closed. "Maybe they forgot to lock it." He tried the handle but it was no use. He gestured his hands to blow the door open... but nothing happened. "Oh yeah... forgot about that." Ian then looked in through the window. There was no one there so... SMASH! He pulled back his fist smiled. "They sure have weak windows." He then climbed into the store and found what he needed and returned to Katie. "Here", he said. "Had to guess your size. Hope I guessed right."  
  
Katie held it up to herself. "Yeah, I think it'll fit, but did you really have to choose pink? I hate pink..." she shuddered.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Oh well," she sighed. "It won't kill me... I think."  
  
"Let's hope not.... wink wink." He smiled and backed away so she couldn't hit him.  
  
Katie just glared at him, and stomped off into the forest to change into the dress. "You know why I hate dresses?" she called. "It's because you can't move properly in them!" She came back soon, carrying her former clothes under an arm. "Don't... say.. a word," she growled at Ian, while glaring at him.  
  
Ian stifled his laughter... but it didn't last long. He burst out laughing and pointing at Katie. "Oh.... oh I am sorry." He said in-between laughs. ".... NOT!" He then continued to laugh.  
  
"I am SO going to hurt you when this is over, you know that, right?"  
  
Ian wiped his eyes from the tears of laughter that had started to leak out. "Oh yeah.... I know."  
  
".... So now what? Where exactly is Washington crossing the river or whatever?"  
  
"Um.... I'm not sure. But it should be close to here I'm guessing." There was then a great gust of cold wind and it started to snow... very, very hard. "Here put this on," Ian said, and handed Katie a shawl. "Best I could find."  
  
Katie rolled her eyes and wrapped the shawl around her shoulders. "Thanks," she muttered.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Alright.... now we look for a river and follow it 'till we find GW. Lead the way." Katie took off walking to her right. South... or so she thought. "Ian... Did you come up with a plan to vanquish the demon that brought us here yet?"  
  
"Yeah..... I think.... I hope." Katie stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Ian.  
  
"You HOPE?" she exclaimed. "Ian, if we don't find a way to kill him, we'll be screwed."  
  
"Well...... my plan is that we grab a gun, find the demon, and shoot his head off. But if that doesn't work I think I have a back-up plan."  
  
"Which is what, pray tell?" "Well I thought that just because we don't have our powers from our time.... that doesn't mean we might not be able to tap into the powers of this time. If we can do that then maybe we can say a vanquishing spell."  
  
"What powers of this time? There were different powers during the different... ages, i guess you would call them."  
  
"Well there must have been witches living in this time. With covens and all. They had to be able to have spells. So we just have to tap into the power of this age." "You still didn't answer my first question." "Well maybe they would be powers similar to ours. Just..... older."  
  
"Older. Ah." Katie nodded and started walking again. Ian followed. "Or we could just go back to the blowing his head off plan."  
  
"Yeah, whatever," she muttered, loudly enough for Ian to hear that she said something, but not understand it. Ian shook his head and they continued on.  
  
~*~*~  
  
A little while later they came to a river and started up it. "Hope we find GW soon. It's really cold and the snow is coming down fast. And it's almost dark," Ian said.  
  
Katie shook her head. "Yes. Yes it is. Hey, are we waiting here or walking some more?"  
  
"Walking."  
  
"Ah." Katie started walking up the river again.  
  
"So are we going to ask to join the army and then stick close to GW?" Ian asked.  
  
"Sure. Of course, if we DON'T get accepted..."  
  
"Well you will have to use your charm to get us in."  
  
"... My charm." It wasn't a question. "You want me to use my charm? That's funny..."  
  
"You're right.... maybe I should do the charming."  
  
"It doesn't work as good for men, believe me."  
  
"Rats," he said sarcastically.  
  
~*~*~  
  
After a while of walking, Katie said, "Ok, where is the guy?"  
  
"If I were him, I'd be in Hawaii." Ian shivered from the cold.  
  
"Yeah, well, I wanna be in my own time frame, but that doesn't seem to be happening."  
  
"True." Ian squinted in the darkness ahead, and strained his ears to hear over the wind. "I think I see something...... and I hear voices. Can you?"  
  
"Yeah, I think I do." Katie walked cautiously towards the voices. "Hey, I think it's him," she whispered to Ian.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I actually listened in history class... And don't ask me why, cause I have no idea myself."  
  
"Alright..... Let's go." The two of them push forward and came to a small harbor where there are many small boats. People are everywhere. "Ok..... blend in. Act cool...... well actually it wont' be hard to act cool since it's freezing!"  
  
"Fine," Katie said. "I'll let you do the talking since I'll probably make it worse."  
  
"Yeah... I bet ya will." Ian walked up to one man and said, "Excuse me.... but do you know where General Washington is?" The man eyed him for a moment and then pointed. "Thank you." Ian turned to where the man pointed and saw the General getting into a boat. The boat pushed off and headed out into the night. "Crap! Come on Katie. Let's get in the next one."  
  
"Alright alright," she grumbled as she followed Ian into a boat. "Did I also mention I don't like boats?"  
  
"Nope...... ya never did."  
  
"Well, I do." They sat right behind a tall man in the front and the boat pushed off. They followed closely behind GW's boat and the ride seemed to take forever. But then the man in front of them shifted towards GW's boat. And a ball of electricity formed in his hand.  
  
"Katie!" Ian hissed, "It's him." Ian and Katie were the only ones that could see what was happening.  
  
"So what do you want me to do, tackle him? You're the one who has the martial arts knowledge."  
  
"This is true." And just as the demon was about to throw the energy ball, Ian picked up his leg and kicked him in the back. The demon was knocked forward and the energy ball went into the water, creating steam.  
  
The demon turned and saw them in the dim light. "You two," he growled.  
  
"Yep," Ian said. "Us two." He then planted another kick into the demon, sending him overboard. There was a large splash.  
  
"What are you doing?!" someone yelled from behind. "He.... uh... was gonna shoot the General."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
Ian nodded. "Yep."  
  
"Alright then. Good work." Ian let out a breath of relief. "Ya think the water will kill him?" he asked Katie.  
  
"Hopefully," she replied. The boats continued on and then landed ashore. "Um... if we killed the demon.... wouldn't we have been sent back or something?"  
  
"I'm not sure. We did kinda come here on our own, but on the other hand, he's the one who cast the spell..."  
  
"Oh no.... you're right. If he cast the spell to get here.... he would have to cast one to get back!" People behind them started grumbling and Ian took the cue and got out. Katie followed.  
  
"Should we talk about this in a more... private place?" Katie asked.  
  
"Just keep it in whispers. And stay close to GW." The General had gotten out of his boat and was heading off into the woods with everyone following him.  
  
"Fine." They both dropped back to the end of the crowd. "Why can't we just make up a spell to get us back home?" she whispered to Ian.  
  
"Well it has to be a pretty powerful spell. And first we would have to do that tapping in thing."  
  
"I was afraid of that."  
  
~*~*~  
  
As they walked on and then boats were left behind, there was a ripple in the water. A head then came up out of it, followed by a large body. "I'll kill them if it is the last thing I do."  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Ok," Ian said, "The General should be fine now. We can't interfere. So just stand back and watch. If there is any major trouble, then we help. Ok?"  
  
"Got ya." They continued on and walked for many miles. But at 8 AM the next morning, The U.S. attacked the large town controlled by the Brits. "I don't know about you, but I don't 'fancy' getting in the middle of this fight," Katie said over the sounds of gun shots and sword clashing.  
  
"Me neither." Ian looked around. ".... Hide behind those trees?"  
  
"Good idea." They ducked behind some huge trees.  
  
As they stood behind the trees peering through at the battle going on, there was the snap of twigs and crunch of leaves from behind. But with all the gun blasts Ian and Katie did not hear it coming.  
  
Ian then felt a breath on the back of his neck. "Katie stop breathing on me."  
  
"Ian, I'm over-" Katie looked over at Ian and saw the demon standing right behind him. "Oh... my god."  
  
"What?" Ian turns around and sees the demon right there. "Uh..... hi?" The demon roared and slammed his fist forward. Ian ducked and the demons fist hit the tree truck, cracking it.  
  
"Dude, that's not the proper way to greet people. Even I know that," Katie said as she punched the demon in the head. The demon stumbled back.  
  
"You can't beat me without your powers," he said. He then conjured an energy ball. "But you see..... I have mine." Katie shook her head.  
  
"Just like a demon. Always underestimating the good witches. Ian, do some of the martial arts stuff! And hurry!" The demon threw the energy ball at her. She ducked and it hit the tree, causing it to fall over with a big boom.  
  
"Right!" Ian ran forward and kicked up to the demons side. But he grabbed Ian's foot and swung him around and then let go. Ian flew through the air and landed on the ground with a sharp grunt.  
  
"Ouch..." Katie said as her brother fell.  
  
"Oh yeah. Ouch." Ian got to his feet. "I think we need to try that tapping in thing."  
  
"And how do t- Watch out!" The demon was conjuring up another energy ball and aiming it at Ian.  
  
The demon threw the energy ball and Ian rolled to one side. The energy ball flew past and hit a nearby gate. Ian cam back up to a stand. "Here goes nothin!" He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and concentrated on finding power. He felt a little stupid, but that was a given for him. Time seemed to slow. The demon came forward, laughing. And then Ian felt a burst of strength! On instinct he gestured with his hands like he would when using his power. A burst of wind erupted and flew forward, knocking the demon down. "Alright! Come on Katie! You try!"  
  
Katie raised her eyebrows, but tried anyway. Hey, if Ian could do it, why couldn't she? After a moment, she felt her veins fill with a burst of power. Hoping it would work, Katie gestured toward the demon. A bolt of lighting flew, startling her. "Did I just do that?"  
  
"Oh yeah. That was you."  
  
The demon glared at them. "How? How?!?"  
  
Katie shrugged. "No idea. But it worked!" Katie gestured again and another lighting bolt hit the demon. The demon flew back and landed on the ground hard.  
  
"That's it. I'm outta here." He stood up and ran into a cluster of trees.  
  
Ian looked at Katie. "Should we follow him?"  
  
"If we wanna get home, I'd say yeah." They ran after the demon and saw him starting the spell for the portal.  
  
"Ok. We let him open the portal and then we say a vanquishing spell. Do you have one?" Ian looked at Katie hopefully.  
  
"Hmm.. Lemme think a moment." The demon was almost done with the spell. Ian turned to Katie. "You thinkin what I'm thinkin?"  
  
"I'm thinking what you're thinking." Their semi mind link abled them each to know the spell that was needed.  
  
"Alright. Ready?"  
  
"Ready as I'll ever be." Katie took a deep breath. Ian nodded, and together they said, "Demon hide your evil face. Die now and leave no trace!" The demon had just finished the spell and the portal opened. But he did not go through. Instead he screamed out and exploded. "Let's go!" Ian yelled.  
  
"Right behind ya!" Katie ran after Ian into the portal. They landed hard on the other side, but the familiar sights of New York calmed her nerves. "Home..."  
  
"And rain..... but at least it's not snow."  
  
"And at least its not freezing." Katie stood up and looked down at the dress she was wearing. "I cannot believe I had to wear this." Ian burst out laughing then stopped when given a look from Katie. "Sorry. It's not all that bad lookin, really."  
  
Katie punched Ian hard in the arm. "Oops..." she said without really meaning it.  
  
Ian grunted. "Mean..." He then looked around. "I guess we came back to the time when we left. Nothing has changed. No time has passed."  
  
"Well, that's always a good thing."  
  
"Yep. You thinking what I'm thinking?" Katie nodded. "Home," they said together.  
  
"Orb or drive?" Kate asked.  
  
"Can't leave the car."  
  
"Figures." Katie walked towards the car and enters on the passenger side. "But you drive."  
  
"Right." Ian got in the drivers side and started the car. They then drove off into the night, and to home. 


	6. Power Hungry

**A/N: I am required (by Ian), to tell you all that this is co-written by himself. Even though most people who read my other fic, The _Charmed Show!!_, would know that... but anyway. Keep in mind that this is finally the last of the three I consider the worst (excluding A War To Remember). We were just starting out simming together and stuff, and gradually got better... Right now we have about sixteen done; I've just been really busy with school (it started a month and five days ago, for all your curious people), and haven't updated. **

**So. Thank you Hazza123, Charmed Writer P4, and Arionwarlock! To reply to your questions, Hazza and Writer, we are currently writing an 'episode' about the whitelighter powers, but you will have to wait a bit for the answers. As for the mind link... Well, we're trying to think of a good plot to go with that, but no luck so far. Hopefully it'll be soon. Where's our muses when we need em, eh? ;)**

Katie grinned as the Christmas tree landed in its spot to the corner of the window. "Do You Hear What I Hear" was playing in the background. A box of ornaments was lying open on the couch. She flicked her wrist and several flew out of the box and hooked onto the tree. 

"You know, you get a nice anytime use power. I can't be like you. I'd blow the ornaments up." Ian took some out of the box the 'traditional' way, and put them on the tree. 

"Hey, blowing up stuff is cool... when it's on a demon." Several more ornaments flew out of the box and landed on the tree. Ian took out the star and stretched his arm as far as it could go. 

"Why did you have to get such a tall tree? I can't reach the top to put the star on!" Ian started hopping to try to reach the top. Hop... hop... ho-. But on that last hop, something amazing happened. Ian levitated right up into the air. "Whoa!" he yelled. Up Ian went. He then floated inches below the ceiling. "Uh what's happening?" 

"I think you are levitating, my dear brother," Katie said sweetly, looking up at Ian. "Well, that's cool." 

"Yeah, well, just one question," Ian said. 

"Which is?" 

"How do I get down?" At that moment, the power gave out, and Ian fell to the floor. "Oof! Ow....... why didn't I have carpet in this room, instead of hardwood floors?" Katie shrugged and offered a hand to help Ian up. Ian took it and got up. "I do remember seeing in the Book that I was supposed to have that power. But it never worked......." Ian looked at the star that was still in his hand, and smiled. "Well this should be easy now." Ian tried levitating up again..... but it was no go. "It wont work now! I can't do it!" 

"Ian, chill. You just got the power. Don't expect it to work the first time. Try again." 

Ian breathed in. "Right." He concentrated and.... **whoosh! Ian levitated straight up. He stuck out his arms to balance himself, and floated there for a second. He then slammed the star down on the top of the tree, and the next thing he knew, "Oof! Ow.... did it again." Ian stood up and brushed himself off. "Well, at least I got another power." **

"Been complaining about it long enough," Katie teased him. 

"Well it's true. You had three powers. I only had two. It is only fair." He smiled and then took some more ornaments out of the box. 

"Ah, I guess no one told ya.... life ain't fair." Katie walked over to the CD player and changed CDs. "The Gift" came on. She sat on the couch and made some of the ornaments land on the tree. 

"Stop that. You make me feel weak. Well I can't actually feel weak when I can blow that tree to bits.... but that's not the point. Anyways.... what was I trying to say here?" 

Katie shrugged, not really listening to him. Ian could babble sometimes. 

Ian looked at his watch. "Hey, we have time to go Christmas shopping. Wanna go?" 

"Alright. Drive or orb?" 

"Drive of course. You can't just orb in... someone might see you. Ya know sometimes I think your brain likes to go back to the rookie level of things." 

"Yeah, well, I learned from the best." Katie grinned and walked out to get her coat and keys. 

"Ooooh.... she's evil," Ian muttered. 

"Maybe!" she said, coming back into the living room. "But not demonic." 

"I hate how you do that. Are you related to superman and his super hearing?"

"Superman had super hearing? Huh." She put on her coat and handed Ian his. "If I'm related, you are too... that trait musta missed you." Ian took his coat and smirked at her. He then left the manor and out into the cold, cold air. But just ten feet later, he was in his car, warming up. 

Katie followed Ian out to his car and got into the passenger side of the car. "It.... is... freezing..." 

"Yes, I know." He pulled out of the driveway and onto the icy street.

Once at the mall, Ian parked in the closest space to the doors and jumped out of the car. Katie strode quickly to get inside the mall. "So, split up? Meet somewhere later?" she asked. "Yeah. Let's meet back here in an hour." "Okay, see ya." They walked off in different directions. 

  
~*~*~

As Ian was walking back to where he was supposed to meet Katie, he saw this teenage boy walking in the opposite direction. There was no room to move, so they had to shoulder by each other. As Ian came in contact with the boy, he drew a quick intake of breath. A premonition began. Ian saw the young teenage boy walking down a deserted suburb street, then a large demon came out and grabbed the kid. Then it ended just as fast as it had come. Ian turned to look at the kid, but the boy had not noticed anything and had kept walking. 

Katie was sitting at a booth, waiting for Ian to come back from shopping. There were three bags on the floor from various shops. Ian quickly made his way back to Katie. "Hey, we've got trouble." 

Katie raised an eyebrow. "What kind?" 

"Well...." He looked around. "I had a premonition." 

"...Are you finished shopping?" 

"Yes! Now what kind of a question is that right after I have told you I had a premonition?" 

"The kind saying we should leave, instead of talking about the supernatural in public," Katie said impatiently.

"Oh..... right." 

Katie rolled her eyes and led the way to the car. They got in. "Now.... What was it about?" 

"Well I was passing by this teenage boy and our shoulders hit each other. That's when I got the premonition. In it I saw the boy walking down a deserted street, and then a big demon coming out and grabbing him. And that was it." 

"Well, that's never a good sign. Any idea what street?" 

"Um....." Ian concentrated hard. "O'Connell street, I think. Near our neighborhood." 

"It was night, right? Or dusk?" 

"My premonitions are in black and white. I don't know if it was dusk... but if was definitely not night." 

"Then we should get to O'Connell street." 

"Right." 

~*~*~

Ian pulled out of the parking lot and turned in the direction of home. But when they got to O'Connell street, they pulled over to the side of the road and sat there. "These look like the houses that were in my premonition." 

"That's good." Katie sighed. "So.... what ya buy?" 

"I am not telling you. You are the only one I bought for." 

Katie shrugged. "It was worth a shot." It started to snow. "Oh great. Something else to bother us." 

"No snow, no Christmas." 

"Oh come on. There is such a thing as a no snow Christmas. Not that I would want one... I just didn't want snow tonight." 

"I see." Ian looked around. "Oh there he is! He's coming down the sidewalk!" Katie got out of the car after the boy passed and started to follow him subtly. 

"C'mon Ian," she hissed. Ian walked next to Katie. 

"Ok.... here's the plan. Once the demon comes out, freeze the kid. Then we take out the demon and the kid just keeps going on home." "'Right." A few feet later a demon popped up. 

Katie gestured sharply and the kid froze. "Your turn!" 

"Right!" Ian ran forward to get in a better position.... and slipped on the ice. "Ow!" The human like demon turned towards him and laughed. 

"IAN!" Katie yelled. She swung her arm and the demon flew into some bushes. "I meant blow him up, not fall down on the ice!" 

"Yeah yeah..." Ian got to his feet. "Bye bye, demon guy!" He gestured sharply with his hands and the demon exploded. "Alright! Another point for the good guys!" He then turned back to the kid. Right there, was another demon. He had grabbed the kid, who was now unfrozen and struggling in the demon's grip. "Oh.... no....." The demon smiled and evil smile, and shimmered away. 

"Damn it. Why do they want the kid anyway?" Katie pushed her hair out of her face. 

"I have no clue......" 

"Let's go see if we can find anything in the Book of Shadows," Katie said as she got back into the car. Ian followed suit and got into the drivers side. 

"Yeah..... demons kidnapping kids. That'll be in the book." 

"Hey, you never know." 

"True." Ian put on his seat belt and started the car. "But...... it still doesn't make sense. Why didn't my premonition show the other demon?" 

"I dunno. Maybe because the future changes with everything one does." Katie shrugged. 

"I guess......" 

~*~*~

They drove in silence the rest of the way home. Ian was mad at himself for letting that kid get captured. Only five minutes later they pulled into the driveway of the manor and got out. Katie walked quickly into the house, took her coat off and hung it on the peg by the door, then climbed the stairs up to Ian's room where the Book was most of the time. Ian followed Katie slowly. Then he flipped on the TV in his room and sat on the bed. "Ian, turn that thing off and help me look." Katie had grabbed the Book off the dresser and was sitting on the bed, the Book open on her lap. 

Ian ignored her. On the TV the news came on. "....And here's our top story for today. Many children have gone missing. Reports say that over the past week, twenty five children have gone missing. We have no information on why yet. Ages of the children seem to focus on teens. Police have started to patrol streets twenty-four/seven and search teams have been sent out. We will have a list of the missing children come up in a few moments. If you know where any of them are, please call right away. " Ian muted the TV and turned to Katie. 

"Alright, alright. I get it." Katie sighed. "But that doesn't help on where to find them." 

"...I think I have an idea." 

"Well, what is it?" 

"A tracking potion. I think I saw it in the Book before." He took the Book from Katie and started to go through the pages. "When the potion hits the demon, it will 'paint' them. Then we just have to do a little spell with the map to connect it with the potion. So the demon will show up on the map, wherever he shimmers to." Ian found the page and showed it to Katie and then continued. "So we go on the patrol like the police, but we let a kid get captured. Fight the demon, make him think the potion is a vanquishing potion, throw it, it doesn't kill him, of course, and then he gets away with the kid. Then we take out our map and follow him." 

"Alright. Do we have all these ingredients?" 

"Yep. All in our own kitchen." Ian got up and started down the stairs with the BOS. Katie followed him. When they got into the kitchen, she took all the ingredients they needed and set them down on the counter. Ian got out a pot and set it on the burner. He poured in some water and set that to a boil. "Ok..." he said, reading the book. "Bay leaf." Katie nodded and dropped a bay leaf into the pot. "Rosemary twig." Katie selected one from a jar and put the stick into the pot also. "Then we need crushed peanuts, salt, and..... pepper." He looked up at Katie. "Sounds like we're making soup." 

"A weird kind of soup, but yeah," Kate said as she dropped the peanuts into the pot. She took a pinch of salt and pepper and added those. "Do we have to wait or anything?" There was a small explosion and a puff of smoke from the pot. 

Ian looked up at Katie. "Nope." Katie took a turkey baster and filled a bottle with a potion. She handed it to Ian. Ian took the bottle and put it in his pocket. "Go tonight or tomorrow?" 

"Tonight." 

"Really?" Ian looked outside. It was getting dark. "I doubt parents will let their teens go anywhere tonight." 

"Ever hear of sneaking out?" 

"Yeah. I did it all the time, you know that. But I would never go out in this weather."

"You would if you really wanted to go somewhere. I did it once or twice. C'mon." Katie walked out to the hallway and put on her coat. 

"No you didn't!" He went after her. "...Did you?" Katie just smirked at Ian and led the way out to the car

Ian followed Katie out. "You drive," he said, and threw her his keys. "Alright." Katie got into the drivers seat of Ian's car and started it. She backed out of the driveway and turned left. "So how are we supposed to find someone in almost pitch black night?" Ian asked. 

Katie shrugged. "I dunno yet." 

"I think that we should just go home and go to bed... " 

"And possibly let another kid get caught?" 

"Well..... If I were a demon, I wouldn't be out here. I would be where it's nice and warm. 'Down there.'" 

"Except you're not a demon. So let's just drive around for a bit and watch for any demons, alright?" 

Ian sighed and slumped back in his seat. "Fine......"   
"Thank you." Katie continued to drive through the neighborhood. "See anything?" 

Ian glanced out the window into the ever darkening night. "Nope." 

"Nothing? Not even a slight shadow or something?" She looked out her window to see if she could spot something moving. 

Ian sat there, silent. He was still mad at himself for their earlier failure. They had had the advantage. And he had been clumsy. Ian had even used his powers out in the open! Where anyone could see him... what if someone had? He was afraid to fight again. Afraid that he would fail...  
Katie reached over and poked Ian in the shoulder. "Dude, you ok?" she asked worriedly. Ian flinched. 

"Yeah. Fine.... I'm fine." 

"No you're not. What's wrong?" 

"Nothing. Let's just.... watch for a demon." 

Katie rolled her eyes. She decided they would talk about it later. "Fine." Ian glanced out his window again and thought he saw a struggle going on, on the corner across the street. 

"There!" 

Katie looked to where Ian was pointing, and saw a fight going on. She slammed on the brakes, stopping a few feet from the corner. Jumping out of the car and running towards the struggle, she threw up her hands and froze everyone on the corner. 

Ian got out of the car, and took out the potion, but did not throw it. _What if it doesn't work' he thought. He would fail again and not be able to face himself. Maybe he should just drop it... say it was an accident... _

"Ian! Throw the potion!" Katie yelled. 

Ian held the potion tightly, not knowing what to do. _To throw, or not to throw? Ian was starting to think he shouldn't have gone to see so many Shakespeare plays that month. _

"Ian! Throw it now!" Katie ordered. 

"My freezes don't last forever, ya know!" Ian finally made up his mind. He threw the potion and it hit the demon, creating a blue flash of light. "Ok, back in the car!" Ian yelled. "Finally!" Katie sighed, running back to the car and getting in. "What took you so long?!" she demanded as soon as Ian opened the passenger side door. 

"Um.... slow reflexes." He looked out the window and the demon and teen kid unfroze. The demon got a hold on the kid and shimmered out. "Ok, hand me the map and crystal." Katie grabbed the map and crystal from the back seat and handed them to Ian. 

"You don't have slow reflexes. I ask again, what is wrong?" 

"Nothing. Now we have to do this quickly." Ian started to spin the crystal over the map and said, "Evil demon painted red, show us where lies your new homestead, you can not run, you can not hide, soon your darkness shall subside." The crystal spun once more and then connected with the map. The address was not far from where they were now. 

"Driving," Katie said, turning on the car and going towards the address. "What's the plan?" 

"Um...... watch and see what they are doing and then go home and make a plan to do tomorrow." 

"Right. The old, sneak approach." 

"Yeah.... that's it." Ian managed a smile and then turned away. _Just an excuse to get out of all this for tonight, Ian thought. _

Katie sighed. Something was definitely wrong with her brother.

~*~*~

A few minutes later, Katie parked on the side of the road a few houses down from where the demon was. "Ian, we're here," she said quietly.   
Ian got out of the car and walked up to the gate. "Hmm... " He threw a rock against it and there was a flash of orange red light and the rock bounced off. "Force field.... oh well. No way in. Let's go." 

"Whoa, wait up. Have you forgotten that I can orb?" Katie asked. "Katie, I am sure they have thought of that and put a force field around the whole place, blocking off everything. Even orbs." 

"No reason not to try." 

Ian crossed his arms. "Fine, go ahead. I'll be ready with some Advil, for once you get knocked back and hit your head on the road." Katie stuck out her tongue and then orbed out. The next thing Ian knew, Katie was on the other side of the gate. "Now... what were you saying?" 

Ian frowned. "Well.... then you can handle this. I'll... wait in the car." Ian turned and started to walk back to the car. Katie raised one of her eyebrows. 

"You're gonna go hide?" 

"No. Just… uh… no." Ian kept walking. 

"I'm not doing this without you," she called, orbing back in front of Ian. 

"Right. I was just kidding. Let's uh... go." 

Katie grinned, grabbed Ian's hand and orbed back behind the gate. She started walking towards one of the windows on the side of the mansion, keeping to the shadows. Ian walked up to one of the windows and looked in. There was a tall man, most likely a demon, and some teens standing in front of him. He was chanting something and his hands were glowing with a faint red light. 

"Well," he whispered. "That's never good." 

"Demons, kids, and red light coming from hands... Yeah, I'd have to agree with you there." 

"It looks like he has those kids in a trance... what do you think he is doing to them?" 

"Uhhh..." 

"That's all you can say?" Ian shook his head. "Well... let's.... um... go home and make plans to storm this place.... say next week?" 

"Yes, we should make plans, but not for next week. Who knows how many kids could get taken?!" Katie demanded. She grabbed Ian's hand again and orbed them to the inside of the car. "I say we do it tomorrow." 

"Right. Tomorrow. Should be easy enough. Go in, blow them all up, go home. Nothin to it. Heh heh......" Ian sighed and then buckled his seat belt. Katie sighed heavily. 

"Alright, what's wrong? And don't say 'nothing'. I know you two well. So spill it." Ian breathed out. 

"Fine... I just think that... I might fail to save those kids. I was stupid last time and we lost that kid. And I slipped on the ice! Ha! That'll be a laugh at the underworld Christmas Party. Now.... now I think that I might fail when we try to save these people. Maybe I should just give up and you can get someone better." Ian turned away and looked out into the night. "Ian... It was a mistake. We all make them," Katie said gently. "You are the strongest male witch I know, and I need you to help me save those kids." 

"I don't know if I can do it...."

"Yes, you can. If you don't believe yourself, believe me." 

Ian looked up at Katie. "You're right..... I can't turn my back now..... let's go get them!" He popped open his door and started to run towards the castle like building. 

"IAN! Wait for me!" Katie opened her door, jumped out of the car, and ran after Ian. "Ok, I get that you got your confidence back, but wait for me!" 

Ian reached the iron gate. "Well this will just have to go." And with a sharp gesture from his hands he blasted through the force field and blasted open the gate. "Ok.... redecorating is in order... but not now." Ian then ran on towards the building. Katie sighed while still running after Ian. 

_Ok, he goes from having a lack of confidence to having too much? Odd.... she thought. Katie caught up to Ian, panting. "So... What's the... plan?" she asked between gulps of air. _

"We go in, blow 'em up, and ask questions later. Wait... there's a flaw... they can't really answer questions when they're dead. Oh well! Let's go." He began to run towards the door. 

"Hold up. What happens if they... I don't know... BLOW US UP FIRST?!" 

Ian stopped short. "Ok.... new plan. We sneak in..... grab a kid.... orb back to the car, and ask him questions." "I like that one better. Alright, let's go." Katie opened the door cautiously and snuck in. Ian walked in behind her. "You know....... maybe this was a bad idea.... let's go home." 

Katie spun around to face him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. YOU'RE the one who came bursting in here!" she hissed. 

"Yeah, I know. Which I have changed my mind to go bursting out of here." Ian turned back around and started to go out the door. 

But then... "Hey! You! Who are you?!" Ian spun around. There were two large demons, coming at them. 

"Uh oh!" Ian covered his eyes. 

"Blow them up!" Katie said, while freezing the demons. 

"Oh.... but..... what if that just makes them really cranky?"

"Blow them up, NOW," Kate ordered angrily.   
Still covering his eyes with one hand, Ian gestured with the other. Instead of blowing up the demons, a chair went to bits. From the side hall, a door opened. Out came more demons. "Did I get 'em?" 

"NO!" Katie pulled Ian's hands from his face, while waving her hands towards the demons that just came out, freezing them. "Blow all of them up NOW, or we're screwed!!" 

"Oh that sounds bad..... how about we just run?!" Ian then ran out of the mansion and back towards the car. But he stopped when he got to the gate. "What the hell am I doing?! I have demons to kill!" He ran back into the hall. "Kiss this!" Ian gestured sharply with his hands and the two first demons exploded. He then turned to the other three and blew them to bits. "Now let's get the rest of these bastards!" 

"Since when did you have these mood swings?" Katie asked quietly, while walking silently through the castle-like building. 

"I do not have mood swings. Guys can't have those... Or can we? How about we go think about this over a nice cup of coffee at home?" 

"See what I mean? You go from wanting to save the world, to wanting to run towards home." 

"I do not! Now where is a demon I can make into mince meat?" 

Katie rolled her eyes. "I think he's..." she leaned around the corner to look into a room and, leaning back out quickly, looked back at Ian, "In here." 

"Alright let's get him." Ian began to walk forward, but then stopped. "Or maybe we could just ask him nicely to stop what he's doing, and then we can all be happy... let's go with that plan." Katie pulled Ian a few feet from the door. 

"And you seriously think that a demon will go along with that plan?" she hissed. 

"Well ya never know. I mean he can't be that rude to diss a nice gesture." 

"Ian... Demons kill people," she said with exaggerated patience. "I'm not too sure that they'll go for that." 

"What if we offer to take them out to lunch?" Ian shook his head. "What am I thinking?! Let's go kick their asses." He then went sharply around the corner and into the large room. "Hey!" All heads turned to look at him. "Hi, I'm Ian, and I'm your worst nightmare." A few demons stood from the chairs they were sitting in and started to walk towards Ian. He just smirked, and stood there. Katie quickly followed Ian into the large room. "Ian, I'd advise that you blow them up..." "Why? That would mean the fun would be over so quickly... and it would be messy and it might disturb the children. Maybe we should just go home. Yeah... I don't wanna die before Christmas." He turned to go. "Merry Christmas.... demon guys. Heh heh...." 

Katie muttered under her breath and swung her arm at the demons. They flew and hit the wall, hard. She twiddled her fingers at them and they froze. "You are not leaving until we save those kids." 

Ian ignored her. "Oh no! Are you guys ok??? Wait.... they can't hear me. And why did you throw them, Kate? That was very rude..... no wait. What am I thinking?! I'll take care of this!" Ian then ran at three demons that were coming in from another room. He stopped right in front of one and slammed his foot into the demon's chest. He fell back and grunted. "Oh! I am SO sorry. Are you hurt? Let me help you up." He walked forward and stuck out his hand. 

"Oh.... my God..." Katie muttered under her breath again. Quickly she froze the demon. "This is getting really annoying..." She dragged Ian over to the crowd of kids. Holding onto Ian's and one of the kid's shoulders, she orbed back to the car. She glared angrily at Ian while keeping an eye on the boy. 

"Wow..... we're back in the car. That is SO cool." He then saw the kid. "Yo, whaz up my homey!?" The kid stared at him. "Am I in the wrong time frame here? Oh well... Hey.... you are the kid that was at the mall, and then we tried to save ya. That is like... wow. COINCIDENCE!!!! Cool." 

Katie froze the kid again and glared at Ian. "Are you on something?" 

"No! Now let's get something out of this kid so we can go back in and kick some demon ass!" 

"No. We are going home and talking about it there." Katie unfroze the kid. "Put your seat belt on. We're going to our place." Katie turned around and started the car. 

"But what about the demons???? We can't run and hide! ....Or can we? Yeah, actually that sounds like a good idea." Ian put on his seat belt and turned to look at the kid. "So what is going on anyway?" The kid shifted. 

"Well... somethin." 

"No duh. Give us some info!" 

"Ian!" Katie yelled. Ian looked at his sister and then back at the kid. "Oh I am sorry for yelling at you. I didn't mean it.... let's go home and get some food and then we can see what can be done." Katie started driving towards the manor. 

"So, what's your name?" she asked. 

"Jason....." 

"How old are ya, Jason?" 

"I'm 15." He kept his eyes down, not looking at either Katie or Ian. Katie nodded and looked in the rear view mirror at Jason. 

"Well, I'm Katie, and that's Ian, my brother," she said gently. 

~*~*~

They arrived at home. Katie pulled into the driveway and shut off the car. "C'mon. Let's talk inside, where it's warm." 

"Alright...." Jason said. He got out and started to follow Ian, who had gotten out of the car and started up towards the house. 

Katie walked behind all of them, still keeping an eye on the kid. "We'll talk in the kitchen. I'll make you some hot chocolate or something if you want," she offered. 

"No thanks." 

Ian turned and said, "I want some! We can make cookies too! Oh this is gonna be great. Much better than fighting dirty demons. They are so filthy."

They walked into the house and then on into the kitchen. "Ok, you," she pointed at Ian, "...Start making whatever. You," she pointed at Jason. "Sit." Jason sat down and stared at the floor. Ian ran to the cupboard and grabbed some cookies. 

"I remembered that we had some already. These are good ones." He popped a few into his mouth. "Wan onge Kakjte?" Ian asked with his mouth full. 

"No. Jason, do you know the guy you were with earlier?" 

"Yeah. He's the guy who..... never mind." 

Ian sat down at the table and shoved some more cookies into his mouth. Katie sat down across from Jason, hands ready to freeze him just in case. "So, you know he's a... demon?" 

"Yeah. We all know that now. Shock at first, but now....." Jason shrugged. 

"And do you think he's cool?! Not cool to be a demon's friend, kid!" Ian piped in. 

Katie hit Ian lightly and then said, "Do you know what he wants? What does he do?" Katie said gently, looking into the kid's eyes. 

"Well he..... he can give others powers. So that's what he does. He gets others to capture us teens and then gives us a small taste of power. We use it... it's cool. But then it goes away and we need to go back to him for more. But..... he makes a deal with us. He says that he will only replenish our power if we do what he wants. Stealing, sabotage, ....sometimes even murder..." 

"Murder?! Oh god.... that must be horrible pressure. Here, have a cookie." Ian handed Jason a cookie. Katie kicked Ian under the table and glared at him. She looked back at Jason. "So... you're all power hungry? You kill, steal, and sabotage people just for powers?" 

"Well.... it's like after the first dose.... we HAVE to have more. Like an addiction. I have only been given a few doses so I am not that.... power hungry." 

"So stop getting the 'doses'." 

"I can't! If I try to run then they will just capture me again like today. That's what some other kids try to do too. Some even try to use their powers against the demons, but they are either too weak already, or just not able to use them correctly yet." 

Katie froze Jason and looked at Ian. "Should we tell him we're witches?" 

"Well he isn't stupid. He prolly already knows. Anyways I doubt that there is any harm. But there could be. I say we knock him in the head until he forgets!" 

Katie sighed. "Maybe you should go rest after I unfreeze him." 

"Oh no, no, no..... I didn't mean that. Let's give him a cookie. He'll spill his guts then... wait. That sounds gross. I'll just keep the cookies." 

"Alright. Just... Don't say anything... childish, alright?" 

"Why would I do that? I am not a child." 

"Well, you're acting like one." 

"I am not! Now unfreeze the kid and interrogate him! Well that is kinda mean..... let's be nice and then see what else he says." 

"Alright, what's wrong with you?" Katie demanded. "You're acting... odd." 

"I am... it all started right after I had that premonition....." 

"Why do you go from mean to wanting to run away?" 

"I have no idea. But maybe the kid knows." Ian looked at Jason and stuffed another cookie into his mouth. 

"Alright, alright." Katie unfroze Jason. "Do you have any idea if these doses affect moods, personality?" Jason glanced at Ian. 

"Well.... the power given to me is the ability to... control others emotions. Make them.... unbearable. But.... if some one comes in contact with me physically then it happens automatically and their emotions just go... whacko. I am thinking that is what happened when I bumped into this guy." 

Ian glared. "I do have a name you punk! It's Ian!" Katie reached over and whacked Ian upside the head. 

"Be nice. Now, Jason, is there any way to reverse the affects of your power?" 

"Yeah." Jason closed his eyes. Ian's skin started to glow and then after a minute it all stopped. Jason opened his eyes. "There. You should be back to normal." 

Katie looked at Ian. "Well?" 

"Well... I feel normal again. I think.... but am I really that normal?" 

"Pardon?" "Never mind...... now I suggest we all get some sleep and storm that place tomorrow." 

"Uh... Yeah. Jason, you're gonna stay here tonight, alright? You'll be safe," Katie assured him. Jason shrugged. "Ok." Katie walked over to the fridge. While pulling the milk out, she gestured toward one of the cupboards. The door opened and a glass floated down to the counter. She poured the milk and gave it to Jason. "Here ya go." 

Jason's mouth hung open. "Wow.... what else can you do?" 

Katie grinned crookedly. "I have telekinesis, orbing, and the power to freeze." 

"Cool.... what about you?" He turned to Ian. 

Ian took a cookie, put it in his mouth, and said, "I can blow things up." Jason's mouth dropped open again. "And.... I have premonitions, and just today I started levitating." Ian smiled at Jason and took another cookie. 

"Well enough with all this chit chat. Finish the milk and then let's all go to bed," Katie interrupted. 

Ian nodded. "Good idea. Kate? Will you show our young guest here where his room is?" Ian stood and went to put the cookies away. 

"Alright. C'mon." After Jason finished his milk and set the glass down, Katie led the way upstairs. She pointed to a door that was near the middle of the hallway on the right. "That's your room." 

Ian finished putting everything away, and then headed upstairs. He nudged Katie on the way to his room. "Night," he said. 

"Night." Katie went into her own bedroom.

~*~*~

The next morning Katie rolled over... And landed on the floor. "Ow..." she muttered. She got up and walked to Ian's door. "Ian, wake up!" she called while knocking on the door. 

Ian bolted up. "Ugh...... I don't wanna," he mumbled.   
Katie opened the door and walked in to sit on the bed. "I didn't wanna either. I ended up falling outta bed though." 

"Well. Lucky you." Ian got out of the bed and went over to his dresser. He took out some clothes and started to change. "Get out, Kate." 

Katie retreated out, closing the door behind her, and walked over to the guest bedroom that Jason was in. She knocked on the door loudly. "Jason? Are you up?" There was no response. "...Jason?" Katie knocked on the door again, then opened the door. No one was in the room. "IAN!" she yelled, walking back to his door. "Jason is gone!"   
  
Ian threw open the door and pulled his shirt on the rest of the way. "What?! Gone? Oh shhhh...oot." 

"Do you think he went back to the demon?" "Where else? Ok.... you go get dressed... I will come up with a spell to vanquish the demon, and then we go kill him." But before anything else could be said a demon shimmered into the hall. A second later another shimmered in on the other side of Katie and Ian. "Oh no... the kid prolly told them where we live!" 

"Figures." Katie froze the demon behind them, and then ducked as an energy ball flew toward her. 

"I am not fighting in this hallway! Orb us down stairs!" Katie grabbed his shoulder and orbed them downstairs, in front of the stairway.

Ian turned to see both demons coming down the stairs. There was a crash behind Ian and he spun around. There was another. "Oh crap...." An energy ball flew towards him. "Hope this works!" He concentrated and levitated into the air. The energy ball flew about a foot under him and hit the banister. A second later Ian fell to the ground. "Gotta work on my landing....." 

"Yes, you do!" Katie gestured sharply and the demons flew back and hit the wall. "Now blow them up!" Ian quickly got up and blew up the demon who had attacked him. He then turned to the other two who just shimmered from where they were against the wall on the steps, to in the open space of the living room. One of them shot a bolt of electricity at Ian and it hit him, sending him back into a small table next to the stairs.   
Katie froze the demons quickly and ran over to where Ian fell. 

"You alright?" she asked, crouching down next to him. 

"Yeah.... fine. Well actually no. There are splinters in my back." He grunted and stood up. "I.... don't really feel that I can blow them up. I feel... weak." 

"What do you mean.... weak?" 

"Like tired! I just used my new power, blew up a demon, and got slammed back into a table by a lightning bolt! What did you think!?" 

"Well, we kinda have to defeat them some way. And your blowing up stuff power really helps in that area." 

"Well, use your power! Fling them out a window!" "Oh... right." Katie gestured and two of the demons crashed through the windows. 

Ian glared at Katie. "I didn't mean literally! Now I have to buy a new window!"

"Well, you're the one who won't blow them up!" 

"Well excuse me! Maybe I don't want to!" 

All this while the demons had crawled back in. They smiled at each other and then one conjured an energy ball. Ian didn't notice. 

"Anyways why are we sitting around here and playing a little game with them? We should be out there kicking bigger demon asses." 

"Because they want to kick ours!" The energy ball flew straight towards Katie. "Maybe if...." The energy ball hit her in the chest, knocking her several feet back, into the wall. She lay on the ground, blacking out the moment she hit the floor. "Well she should have been paying attention." Ian turned and blasted the demon to bits. "You want some of this?!" he said to the other. The demon backed up and then shimmered out. "I thought not." He turned to Katie and gave her a small kick. "Get up! We have to go kill..... whoever he is." Ian then turned and walked back upstairs to get the BOS. 

"Why?" Katie was sitting on the couch by the time Ian came back downstairs. "If you're so good, why can't you get there yourself?" 

"Because I can't orb, miss sassy! Now let's go!" 

"Me? Sassy? You're the one who started all this." 

"I did not." Ian glared at Katie for a moment. "Fine.... if you won't orb us, I will go myself!" Ian then grabbed his keys and went out the door, slamming it behind him. 

Katie shrugged and lied back on the couch. "Touchy..." 

Ian got into his car in turned it on. He then quickly, and almost insanely, drove back to where they had been last night. "Sassy? Me? Yeah right. She is such an idiot." Once he arrived, Ian stepped out and walked into the large yard. The gate was still lying in pieces on the drive-way. He made his way to the front door, but was stopped half way when a bunch of demons shimmered in around him. "Oh.... damn."   
  


~*~*~

Katie sat in a chair reading. Ian hadn't come back. Maybe she should just go see how he was doing. Katie orbed to the place where Ian and her were last night to see Ian fighting about 15 demons and demon kids. Energy balls were flying, sometimes, but rarely, hitting other demons. Ian was in the middle of the crowd, kicking and punching. Two energy balls flew his way and hit him. He flew back, landing 3 feet in front of Katie. 

"Oh my god," she said worriedly, running over to him and crouching at his side. "Are you alright?" 

"What do you think?!" Ian then slumped back, unconscious. Katie stood up and faced the demons. "Oh, that was a bad thing to do..." Katie swung her arm sharply, angrily, and a few demons flew back about 4 feet. She gestured 4 more times, until all the demons were on the ground. Crouching back down beside her brother, she said, "C'mon... Wake up." 

"I don't wanna....," Ian mumbled. 

"So you wanna get killed?" Katie asked, kind of teasingly. 

"Uh..... no." Ian sat up and shook his head. "Thanks Kate. I'm sorry about earlier. It was just.... my emotions had gone all whacko again." 

She nodded. "Me too. How about we kick demon butt?" Ian stood up. "I'd say that is the best thing I have heard all day." "So, do that thing," Katie gestured without using a power, "You do." 

"Right." Ian raised his hands and blew up two demons on the spot. "Let's go.... but don't hurt the kids." 

Ian ran forward and planted a kick into a demon's chest. He fell back to the ground. "Well that's your place buddy." Ian smiled and then moved on. He blew up three more demons and then turned to see how Kate was doing. 

Katie was mostly blocking or deflecting blows rather than giving them. She punched one demon, and kicked backwards to hit another one in the stomach. "You doin alright?" she called over to Ian. 

"Oh yeah!" Ian ducked from a swinging demon and then blew him up. "Doin great!" As they finished the battle Ian came over next to Katie. "Ready to go inside and finish the job?" 

Katie shrugged. "No. But let's go anyway." Ian smiled and Katie orbed them inside. 

Ian looked around. They were surrounded by teenagers. The man they had seen the night before was sitting in a chair off to one side. "Uh oh....." "Doesn't look very good.... "Now what?" Katie turned to Ian for a plan. "We..... do this!" Ian then ran forward in the direction of the adult demon and levitated up. His momentum sent him flying over the teens. Ian then lost power and dropped to the floor in front of the chair. Ian rolled to his feet and came up in a fighting stance. Katie nodded. "Nice," she commented. She then orbed out and orbed back in next to her brother. 

The adult demon clapped. "Well done. You over came your anger emotions that Jason used on you, you got passed my guards, and now here you are ready to kill me. Bravo..... by the way, my name is Lucas." 

Ian glared. "I don't care what your name is. All I care about is vanquishing you and getting these kids back to their families." 

Lucas smiled. "Oh but they don't want to go back." Lucas snapped his fingers and the children advanced. Not towards Ian and Katie, but towards Lucas. They tackled him, punched, kicked, pulled his hair! Lucas then stumbled to his feet. "You evil children! You were supposed to obey me!" 

Ian laughed. "You thought wrong." He then brought up his hands and used his power. Lucas screamed out and exploded. "A job well done." 

"That was cool." Katie grinned. "So. Where do you all live?" she asked the children. 

"New York," they all said. Ian smiled. "I think that we should..... cast a mind erasing spell and send them all home thinking that they had just gotten lost." 

"Yeah. But, I don't exactly know a mind erasing spell." 

"I do!" Ian cleared his throat and then said, "Your memory of these happenings we shall now erase, gone from your mind, let different images fill that space." They kids all shook their heads. "Ok, you were all.... attracted to this cool old castle place and then when you got in the doors closed behind you and locked. We found you and now you can go home." The kids gave Ian blank stares and then nodded. "Now.... go home!" They all then turned and walked out of the hall. "Well.... they should be fine." 

"Yep. Hopefully. For now anyway." Katie shrugged and orbed them both home.

"Nice to be home," Katie said, plopping onto the couch. "I'll say... and I haven't had breakfast yet." Ian rubbed his stomach. "I have an idea." He left the room and a minute later came back with a box in his hands. "Cookies!" 

Katie laughed and flicked her hand towards the box. The box opened, and several cookies flew out, landing in her hand. Ian slumped into the chair across from Katie. "Cookies. The more ya eat...... the fatter and happier you become." 

"Maybe. I could use some happiness right now," Katie said, mouth full of cookie. 

"Well don't worry. A few more cookies and....." Ian yawned. No more words came from his mouth. He had fallen asleep. Katie rolled her eyes and got up and left the room. She would have woken Ian up... but she decided just to leave him there. Although.... Ian would have one bad neck cramp when he did wake up.


	7. Cupid's Arrows

Ian stood behind the bar of his club, watching a Jessica, a girl he had liked since high school, dance. _She is so pretty.... but she will never like me, Ian thought. "Maybe there is a magical way to do this... but I can't do that." Ian rubbed his face. Then he got an idea. "But what if someone else does it?" He smiled to himself and grabbed his coat. "Hold the fort while I'm gone," he said to his assistant. Ian then went out the door and into his car to drive home._

~*~*~

Katie was at the manor, curled up in a chair by the fireplace, reading a book. She heard Ian come in the front door. "Back so soon?" she called, closing the book but keeping the place with her finger. 

"Well....... I needed to get something," Ian said. He turned from Katie and then ran up the stairs. 

"... Right." Katie shook her head and returned back to reading. 

Ian went into his room and grabbed the Book of Shadows from the top of the dresser. He began to flip through it while he made his way over to the bed. Ian found the page he wanted and sat down with the book in his lap. "Cupid," he read. "The Angel of love, Cupid uses his love arrows to get people who are destined for each other to fall in love. To summon him, use the following spell." Ian quickly memorized it and then went down stairs into the living room. "Ok stand back!" 

"What do you mean 'stand back'?" Katie asked, but stood up and backed up anyway. One never knew what might happen. 

"I am going to summon Cupid." 

"You're going to do what?" Katie exclaimed, not sure if what she heard was right. 

"I said I am going to summon Cupid," Ian said, moving into the center of the room. 

"You're crazy, ya know that, right?" 

"Yes. Now shush." Katie muttered under her breath and waited. Ian cleared his throat and then began. "Angel of Love come to me, set another's heart free, to love me and see the truth, that I am the one they need on this earth." 

All of a sudden pink roses started to appear all over the room. There was then a puff of smoke and Cupid appeared in the center of the room. "Nice diaper," Ian said, and smiled. 

Katie raised her eyebrow and stifled a laugh. "So... This is Cupid?" A grin appeared on her face as she stepped forward to sit on the couch. 

"Please, help me!" Cupid cried. 

Ian frowned. "Help you? What do you mean?" Just then three warlocks appeared, surrounding them. "Uh oh....." One of the warlocks changed into a tiger, while the other ones generated fireballs. 

"Big uh oh....." Katie yelped slightly in surprise when the warlocks appeared. Katie held up her hands, closed them into fists, then opened them quickly, hoping for the warlocks to freeze. Two of the warlocks froze, but the tiger didn't. He growled angrily and tackled Katie. "Oof!" She fell to the floor with the tiger on top of her. The remaining warlocks unfroze. 

"Oh crap!" Ian yelled. He blew up one that had unfroze and turned to the other. The warlock threw the fireball he had and Ian ducked. It hit a book case and several of the books burst into flames. "Hey! My favorite book was in there! You are gonna get it now." Ian ran forward and slammed his foot into the enemy's chest. He fell back to the ground with a grunt. "Oh you are so unstable," Ian said. 

Katie managed to somehow gesture, somewhat wildly, and the tiger flew off of her, only to land a couple of feet away. A bit closer than she would've liked. She looked around quickly. Ian was fighting with the warlock; supposedly he blew the other one up. She didn't see Cupid... A growl behind her made her look to see the tiger ready to pounce once again. 

Ian ducked from a swing that the warlock threw. "Oh, that was close." He then slammed his fist into the warlock's jaw. He stumbled back a few feet and a trickle of blood came from his mouth. "Oh I am sorry. Not!" The warlock growled. His eyes then glowed red and beams shot from them. Ian was blasted back into the wall. "Ah!" As he fell to the floor he saw the tiger warlock about to pounce on Kate. She tried freezing the tiger again. 

It only made him go in slow motion. 

But that that was enough for Katie to move out of the way and run over to where Ian fell. "You alright?" she asked hurriedly. 

"Yeah, perfectly fine except for this major pain in my back." Ian stood up. The tiger warlock was standing in front of them, baring its fangs. And the other warlock had conjured another fireball. Ian walked forward a little and glared at the tiger. "Hey kitty, kitty." The tiger roared and leaped at Ian. He clumsily levitated in the air and floated there, flailing his arms and legs. "I need practice!" 

"Practice some other time!" Katie hopped to the side while gesturing. The tiger warlock flew into the other warlock, causing him to lose the fireball. 

After another moment of flailing Ian fell to the ground. "Ok... spell..... spell...." He thought quickly. "Um.... Evil warlocks get out of my face, with this spell you shall return to your.... rightful place!" There was a bright flash and the demons faded. "Hey.... I should write that one down." 

"You do that," Katie replied. She sighed and started to clean up slowly. Ian looked around. 

"Where's Cupid?" There was movement from behind the couch and Cupid stood up. "Oh there you are. Now... mind explaining all this?" 

Cupid looked down. "This powerful warlock named Jarel has been sending his minions after me to steal my love arrows." 

Ian sat down in the nearest chair and slouched back. "And.... why would warlocks want love arrows?"

"They want to corrupt them to make the arrows evil. That way when someone is hit by one, the first person they see they will hate and try to kill." 

Katie sighed again and picked up a ripped pillow. "I just bought this pillow." She looked at Cupid. "Is... Jarel, you said? Is he the one who turned into the tiger?" 

"Oh, no. That was just one of his warriors. There are many more and they have all sorts of powers that they stole from others." 

"Great. So we can expect more. Many more," she muttered under her breath, loud enough for Ian to hear, but not Cupid. 

Ian glanced at Katie. This was gonna be tough. Only awhile had gone by since the two got their powers and so much has happened. He knew how she felt, but they would have to do what they could to help. "Well, we will do our best to protect you. Let's find this Jarel in the book and come up with some kind of a plan to vanquish him." 

Katie nodded. "I'll start looking." With that, she walked up the stairs and into Ian's room, where the book was, and started to flip through the BOS. 

Ian sighed. "Well..... let's follow her." Ian then turned and walked up the stairs and into his room. He found Katie sitting on his bed, looking in the Book of Shadows. "Anything?" Cupid came in behind Ian and sat in a chair, setting his bow and quiver full of arrows down next to him. 

"Kinda sorta... Alright, not really. But I just started." Katie kept flipping. 

"All right, well-" Thud! Ian lay on the floor and a warlock became visible behind where Ian had been standing. A two by four was in his hand. 

_Why didn't someone see that?! Katie thought as she ducked a swing. She grabbed the warlock's arm and flipped him over. He landed on the floor hard. She looked over at Ian; he seemed unconscious. "Damn," she muttered. _

A grunt behind her gave her warning. She instinctively ducked as the two by four whooshed over her head. The warlock dropped the two by four with a bang and a fireball appeared in his hand. He threw it at her; Katie tried to jump out of the way in time, but was hit and flew back into the wall. The warlock ran over to Cupid's bow and arrows, grabbed them, and blinked out. 

Ian groaned from where he lay and then pushed himself up. "What the hell happened?" he asked as he sat up and rubbed the back of his head. 

"A warlock came in, stole Cupid's bow and arrows, and blinked out. What else would happen?" Katie said, a bit more bitterly then intended. 

"What?! Why didn't you stop him?" 

"You think I didn't try?! I got hit with a damn fireball and got thrown into the wall!" 

"Oh... what about you Cupid? Why didn't you do anything?" He looked around. "Cupid? ....Where are you?" 

"Over here," came the answer. Ian turned as Cupid stood up from the other side of Ian's bed. 

"Wimp," Ian said dryly. Katie nodded and went over to sit on the bed. She put her face on her hands and sighed. "Ok," Ian said, "the warlocks have the arrows, and we still have no plan, and Cupid here is a wimp. Now what do we do?" 

"We protect Cupid as best as we can, look through the BOS to try and find something on What's-His-Name, and get back the bow and arrows," Katie said, face still in her hands, causing her voice to be a little muffled. Ian sat on the floor. 

"Ok.... but if these guys start shootin those arrows.... how will we be able to protect all those others?" 

"They can't make the arrows evil right away, Ian." Katie lied back on the bed. 

"Well they will be able to do it soon!" Ian protested. 

"And we have no idea where these people are... Let's scry, or at least try to." 

Ian looked up at her on the bed. "Right. But if that doesn't work, I'll... make a spell." 

"Alright." Katie sat back up and looked down at Ian. "Where's the crystal and map?" Ian pointed. 

"Bottom drawer of my dresser." 

Kate nodded and gestured. The drawer opened and a crystal and map flew out to land on the bed. "Ok... Jarel." She swung the crystal over the map in a wide circle. It almost landed, but kept spinning. She looked over at Ian. "I think they might've warded the place or something. I felt a tug, but it didn't land on a spot." 

"Hmm....... I have an idea. Hand me that two by four." Katie gestured slightly and the two by four floated over to Ian. Ian grabbed the board out of the air and held it tightly, closing his eyes and concentrating. After a few moments the premonition came. Ian took an intake of breath and after a second, opened his eyes. "I know where they are." 

"Where?" Katie asked while starting to get up. 

"They are in the woods behind the Junior High. I saw them corrupting the arrows. That should happen soon then. Let's go." 

"They're in the woods behind the Junior High?" Katie asked. "Wouldn't demons go to like, an abandoned warehouse or something?" She followed Ian downstairs. 

"Well what does it matter? But we have to come up with some kind of plan.... and my head hurts way too much." He stopped near the bottom of the stairway and turned back to Katie. "You think of something." 

"Okay. How 'bout this. We run in screaming bloody murder, I freeze, you blow them up, nick the arrows, and then run out really fast?" Katie said in false cheerfulness. 

"Um.... I doubt that will work in this case." He looked up behind Katie to Cupid. "Hey.... be a pal and grab that big book on my bed." Ian then turned and went down the rest of the way. 

"Alright... How about we run in, say a spell, THEN take back Cupid's stuff?" Kate said, trailing Ian down the stairs while Cupid went up. 

"Well first we need to find Jarel in the book, come up with a spell, fight the demons, and then if those arrows have already been corrupted then we have to find some way to..." He walked into the kitchen and opened the freezer, "...un-corrupt them." 

"And that's why you're looking in the freezer?" 

Ian glared at her. "No.... I am getting an ice pack for my head." He grabbed one and shut the freezer door. Ian then sat at the kitchen table and put the ice pack to his head. 

"Maybe you should lay down on the couch or something for a little bit," Katie said, concerned. 

"Oh yes, and let warlocks run around and shoot arrows at people that will make them crazy and kill the first person they see." 

Katie shrugged. "Just trying to help," she muttered. She sat down on at the table at the end. 

Cupid came in with the book and sat it in front of Ian. "Well let's see what we can find here....." Ian opened the book and started to page through it. "Oh this is taking to long. Info I want on Jarel I must find, show me the correct page so I can be at peace of mind." 

The pages of the book glowed and a breeze came out of no where. The pages flipped in the wind quickly and then landed on one page. "Ah! There we go." Ian scrolled down the page. "Oh.... oh this is bad." 

"Bad? What's bad? Bad is never good," Katie said worriedly. 

"Well... it says that he has A LOT of powers and that many are not known. Also that he is one of the main leaders of the underworld, and that he has many people working for him. Oh and one more thing. No one has even come close to beating him." 

"Oh yay," Kate said sarcastically. "Is there a spell or something that may help?" 

"Nothing. We either have to make one up, try to destroy him with just our powers, or..... run like the wind." 

"I like the run like the wind plan, myself." 

Ian sighed. "So do I, but that would be wimping out. Don't be a Cupid, Kate." "Alright, alright." Katie rose and went over to the cupboards. "I'd rather make a potion then." She pulled out a caldron and set it on the stove. 

"Do you have any idea what you are doing?" 

"Kinda." Katie put random ingredients into the pot. Ian groaned. 

"Oh no...... you are gonna blow us up!" 

"Oh come on. The worst I could do is burn our house down." 

Ian looked up at Katie. "Ha ha.... very funny. But the longer we waste time those warlocks are out there corrupting love arrows and shooting people with them." 

"Well, get over here and help me then." Katie reached over and grabbed a pig's foot. She dropped it into the pot quickly. 

Ian got up and went over to Katie, setting his ice pack down on the table. "Hey Cupid, do you know anything that can help us?" 

Cupid looked up from where he was sitting at the table and shook his head. "I am sorry. I usually try not to be around demons." 

Katie rolled her eyes. "I see that." 

Ian watched Katie just randomly put in a few more things. "Katie stop. You will kill us all. Let's just make some potions that could help us. Smoke bomb potion..... acid burning potion..... um.... one that will make a flash of light and blind them..... stuff like that. It's all in the book. And I can start making some spells that could help us also." 

"Okay." Katie dumped the stuff that was already in the pot and started to put in ingredients for an acid potion. 

Ian grabbed a notepad from a drawer and sat at the table. "Hmm.... what can we do?" He then got an idea and wrote: 'I call upon the element of the air, your power with me share, blow away these evil beings, dead now is their meaning.' Ian looked up at Katie. "Got one." 

There was a small bang and a puff of smoke came from the pot. "Me too." 

Cupid looked at the two of them. "Anyway I can help?" he asked. Ian thought for half a second and then said, "Yes. Stay out of the way." Katie nodded as she put the potion into two bottles. 

Ian began to write another spell and Katie said, "Next, the bright-light potion... thing." She put the bottles on the counter and started up again. "Do you think that maybe we should just summon Jarel here? It would surprise him. Might give us an advantage." 

"Uh... no. Maybe we should just go to the woods. Bigger playing field. Yet..... we can't just let those guys run around creating havoc. But on the other hand we need to be prepared." 

"Make your mind up." Katie added another ingredient and the potion was finished; she put it into two bottles. "Here or there?" 

"There. Ok, I will make one more spell, we will go and do our best, and save the day again! .... Well in this case, night." Cupid stood up and walked over to them. 

"What about me?" he asked. 

"Stay here and don't touch anything." 

"And stay outta sight," Katie said pointedly. "I doubt the neighbors will think that a man in… That is dressed like you, is casual." 

"Ok Kate. Get movin on that next potion." 

"Yeah, yeah..." Katie began dropping ingredients into the pot once again. 

Ian sat down at the table and wrote another spell. "Hmmm.... this will have to do." There was another small bang from the pot a moment later. 

"Done!" Katie said, filling another two bottles. "Alright, take one of each," she told Ian, taking three bottles; one of each potion. Ian quickly grabbed the remaining bottles and put them in his pocket. 

"Ok. I have three spells here, we have three potions each, and.... our powers. Ready?" 

"Not really, no." But Katie walked quickly into the hallway to get her light jacket. Ian followed her. She grasped Ian's arm and orbed them behind the Junior High. 

"Ok..... See anything?" Ian whispered. It was pitch black and there was an eerie silence around them. 

"Besides some trees? No." She started walking farther into the woods, not making a sound. Ian walked quickly behind Katie. After a minute or two they got deep into the center of the woods. They stopped and looked around. 

"I still don't see anything. Do-" There was then the snap of a twig behind them. Ian spun around to see a tall warlock. Then there was a bright flash of light and Ian spun again. A large fire was in the center of the clearing. Warlocks stood all around. "Oh..... I think this is an ambush." 

"I couldn't tell with all the warlocks surrounding us." Katie saw a warlock raise his hands, aiming at her. A bolt of what seemingly looked like lighting lashed out, hitting her in the chest. She flew and landed a few feet away, dazed. 

"Katie!" Ian had no time to help her. The warlocks advanced. Ian quickly took out one of them by blowing the warlock up. But there were still a lot more. Four surrounded him and they were too close for Ian to do anything but use his martial arts. 

"Ugh..." Katie moaned and quickly stood up. Four warlocks had surrounded Ian, and three were coming her way. She quickly gestured the direction Ian was, causing two warlocks to fly back and hit a tree. The three warlocks that were coming toward her hesitated for a second, but kept coming. She orbed and appeared in the middle of two, surprising them. One quickly conjured a fireball, but Katie orbed back to her pervious position and the fireball hit one of the other warlocks. 

Ian smiled. Katie was getting really good. But there was no time for compliments. Ian levitated into the air and kicked one of the warlocks in the head. He stumbled back a few feet, but the kick had been weak. Ian fell back to the ground. Some of the warlocks started to back off. They all went and made a circle around the fire. "What are they doing?" Ian asked. 

"I'm not exactly sure," Katie replied. Just then the fire started to move violently. It took the shape of a man, and then the fire became that man. The only light now was that of the stars. The man spoke. 

"Bravo you weak minded fools. You made it this far. I am impressed. But no one has defeated me.... it can't be done. And while we stand here, my warriors are out there shooting people with my new toy. You have lost." 

Katie raised an eyebrow. "You're sure about that?" She moved closer to Ian. "Let's try one of those spells," she whispered. Ian nodded and then took out one of the spells. He held it in front of them and they read together. 

"_We call upon the element of air, your power with us share, blow away these evil beings, dead now is their meaning!" ___

There was a slight breeze and then it grew stronger and stronger. Then a whirlwind appeared and all the warlocks were sucked into it.... except Jarel. The spell ended and it was just Kate and Ian against Jarel. 

"Oh nice spell," Jarel said. "But it was not enough." 

Ian glared and then whipped out the acid burning potion. He threw it, but Jarel just held up a hand and the bottle exploded before it got to him. The contents fell to the ground and burned the surrounding grass. "Uh oh...." Ian said quietly. 

"We have to distract him somehow..." Katie said, thinking quickly. "Ok, got an idea..." Katie handed Ian all of her potions except for the acid one. Then she quickly orbed to appear behind Jarel. He looked around quickly, not knowing where she went. Ian took both of the bright potions and threw them at Jarel's feet. There was an ultimate flash of light. Jarel screamed out in rage and rubbed his eyes. "I can't see!" Katie threw the acid potion at Jarel's back. He screamed in pain and rage, but didn't go up in flames and die. Jarel swung around quickly to face Katie, conjuring up an energy ball. He threw it and hit Katie. She flew back several feet and hit a tree hard, which caused her to get knocked out. 

Ian yelled out in rage. "No! Evil monster that stands before me, leave now, let us be!" There was a flash of light and Jarel was gone; back to where he came from. Ian ran to Katie and lifted her into a sitting position. "Katie!" Ian shook her. "Come on, wake up!" 

Katie slowly opened her eyes. She looked at Ian, confused. "Ugh..... What happened?" Her memory was a little fuzzy, and her head hurt horribly. 

"I sent Jarel away with a spell. Now we got to do something about your head." Ian breathed in deeply and then let the air out. "Ok.... I call upon the healing rain, ease Katie's headache, ease her pain." Ian looked at Katie. "Well?" The pain left. 

"Thanks. It worked. Now, where to you want me to orb us to?" Katie asked. 

"I don't know..... let's try a finding spell. Evil warlocks we wish to find, let me see in my mind, the place, where they dwell, show us the way so we may send them to hell." A picture appeared in Ian's head.... fuzzy at first, but then it was clear. "They are in the town square. There are so many people there at this time! We have to stop them." 

"Alright, let's go." Katie orbed both of them to an alley very near the town square. She walked out to stand at the end of a crowd, trying to see over the people's heads. 

"Oh no..... how are we going to stop this with all these people?" Ian heard screams over the crowd. Shouts of people trying to kill each other. Riots were everywhere. Police tried to get through. "It's like.... war." 

"It is war." Katie jumped to the side when she saw a misaimed punch come her way. 

"Ok," Ian said, a plan coming into his mind, "we throw the smoke potions, go in, take out as many warlocks as we can, and anyone about to kill each other.... freeze them. Ready?" 

"Ready." Ian took out both of the potions. "Now!" He threw the potions into the center of the crowd. Smoke billowed up and stretched out over the town square. "Let's go..." Ian ran into the smog, looking for the warlocks. 

Katie ran into the crowd, while freezing them, following Ian. Through the smoke, she saw a couple warlocks; one with a bow, and one with the arrows. "There," she told Ian. Ian turned to where Katie pointed. He could faintly see them through the smoke. Ian ran forward and kicked the bow out of the warlock's hands. He then gestured sharply and the warlock exploded. The other one grabbed the bow. He put an arrow on it and shot Ian in the leg. 

"Ah!" Ian turned in pain and then looked up... at Katie. "Why didn't you freeze it?! This is your fault! I hate you!" Katie looked down to see a 'hate arrow' in Ian's leg. 

"Ok, Ian... You know you just got hit with a hate arrow. What you're saying isn't you." Ian pulled the arrow out and threw it down. 

"Oh shut up! What do you know?!" Ian ran towards Katie and levitated into the air. He slammed his foot into her head and then came back down. Katie fell to the ground. 

She rubbed her head and glared at Ian. "Oh, I don't have time for this..." She got up, froze Ian and faced the warlock. Katie held out her hand and the bow came to land at her side. She drew another piece of paper from Ian's pocket. Reading from it, she said quickly, "Warlock that stands before me, die now, I vanquish thee!" The warlock screamed out in anger and pain, and then disappeared in a funnel of fire. "Cool." She turned back to Ian and unfroze him. 

"Stupid witch!" Ian swung his arm at Katie. Katie ducked quickly, avoiding the punch. 

"Hey, calm down." The smoke was beginning to clear. People that Katie had frozen earlier became unfrozen. Ian spun around in a circle and slammed his foot into Katie's stomach. She fell back to the ground. Ian raised his hands to destroy her. Katie stood up and quickly orbed behind Ian just as the ground exploded where she had been. "You don't want to kill me. It's the magic talking." 

Ian spun around. "Quiet!" Ian raised his hands again, but just then Cupid appeared between them. He held up his hands and twin blue beams shot into Ian's eyes. Ian blinked. "What...? What happened?" 

"Oh, nothing much. You tried to kill me, once again," Katie said good-naturedly. "Same old thing." 

"Oh.... well if it that's all, no biggy." There were screams from around them. "Ok, thanks Cupid, now do the same thing to all them." Cupid sighed and shook his head. "I can't. I only had the strength to cure you. The two of you must do the rest." 

"Some help you are," Katie muttered. "Alright... spell... Think of a spell..." she told herself. "... These people who have been swayed, may they once again see the truth." 

Ian looked at Katie. "What was that? Was that a haiku?" Kate shrugged. "I couldn't think of a rhyme." The crowd began to calm down. "But it worked." 

"Ok. Grab the arrows and let's get out of here. Everyone will just think this was a riot. Nothin supernatural about it." Katie ran over to the arrows and picked them up. Then she followed Ian out of the crowd. Ian and Katie stopped in the alley with Cupid. "Now let's go home and..... uncorrupt these things." 

Katie nodded and orbed them all to the manor. "I've no idea how though." 

"Well..... Cupid, ya got any ideas?" Ian looked him at him with hopeful eyes. Cupid took the arrows and bow from Kate and set them on the table in the kitchen. He raised his hands over them. His hands glowed along with the bow and arrows. 

"It is done. Jarel's plan has failed, and most of his warriors are dead. He will not return until he has gathered new forces to him and has come up with another devious plan. I thank you." 

Katie nodded. "You're welcome. If you need any more help, let us know." 

Ian held up his hand. "Wait a minute... We helped you. So you have to help me. I summoned you for a reason you know." 

Cupid smiled slightly. "Yes, I do know. You want Jessica to love you. Well my arrows will only have a person see the truth, that they do love that other person. But Jessica does not love you. And deep down you know that you do not love her. I am sorry, but that is just how it is." 

Ian frowned. "This coming from a man in a diaper?" 

Cupid gave Ian a stern look. "I changed my appearance before, but people did not know who I was. So I changed back. Thank you again for your help." He then disappeared. 

"Well..... all that for nothing." 

"Hey, we saved the day again. That's always an up-lifter." Katie sat down at the table. 

Ian sat down next to Katie. "Uh huh. Well it has been a long day. Like all others. Almost got killed a number of times." 

"Ah, the life of witches," Katie said a bit quietly. "You said it......." Ian muttered. "I've got to get back to the club. Wanna come with me and hang out?" 

Katie shrugged. "Why not?" 

"Ok. I'm too tired to drive. Orb us to the back office." 

Katie nodded, held Ian's arm and orbed them to his office. "Is there anything I can do to help out?" 

"There is nothing to do right now. The party has already started." He nodded toward the door, where music could be heard along with the voices of many people on the other side. "Well....." he said. "Actually there is one thing." 

"And what is that?" Katie asked. 

Ian smiled and said, "Have fun." 

Katie smiled back. "My favorite thing to do." She then opened and stepped out into the main room. She started towards a table. Ian followed her and then stopped when someone tapped his shoulder. He turned to an amazingly beautiful woman standing there. "Can I help you?" Ian asked her. 

"Yes you can. Dance with me." She took his hand and then started to pull Ian toward the center of the room. Ian glanced at Katie and shrugged. Katie watched Ian dance for a moment, when a young, cute, man came to stand in front of her. "Dance?" he asked. 

"Sure," she replied, grinning. He took her hand and pulled her near Ian and his dancer partner and they started dancing.

**A/N: Ta-daa! Wow, I almost can't believe it myself... Two episodes up in three days! ...Granted, that also happened with I first put this up, but you know. Expect another one up while I procrastinate over doing math homework. Heh.**


	8. All Work And No Play

Katie was sitting in front of a desk nervously watching the man behind look over her resume. "It says you have never worked with computers at any of your other jobs," he commented. 

"Uh... True, but I've been studying and work on one at home a lot." 

"This also says you need flexible hours..." 

"Yeah... Things pop up suddenly in my family. A lot, actually," she said under her breath. 

"What kinds of things?" The man looked up at her. 

"I'd rather not say," Katie said a bit nervously. "But I'll make up the hours." 

"Alright, I'll call you and let you know if you got the job sometime this week." 

"Thank you." She got up and walked out of the office. _Well, that basically means I won't get the job,_ she thought to herself. 

Katie walked out to her car and was about to open the door when she heard a lady scream. A man was running across the road with a purse in his hand. "Oh no you don't," she muttered under her breath and started to run after him. She was starting to catch up with him when they rounded a corner. Since there were no people around, Katie froze him quickly and ran up to get the purse. After walking around the corner, she unfroze the guy and went back to the lady that had screamed. "Here ya go, lady," she said, handing her the purse. 

The woman smiled. "Thank you." 

Katie just nodded, walked back to the car and got in. She started it and drove home. After a several minutes, Katie arrived at the manor. She turned off the car and went in. Looking into rooms, she tried to find Ian. There was no sign of him in the living room, the parlor, or the sun room. She heard a loud sneeze, coming from the kitchen. Sure enough, when she walked in, Ian was there. "Are you sick?" 

Ian looked up at Katie. "No. I am perfectly fine... ACHOO!" Across the room a vase exploded. "....That has been happening all morning." 

Katie strode over to the cupboard. "You're sick. I'm gonna make you some soup." She took down a can letter soup, and started to make it. 

"Oh no no no. You don't have to do that." 

Katie glared at Ian. "I may not have to, but I am." 

"Fine..... How did your interview go for.... what was it again?" 

"A computer job at Nexus. He basically told me I didn't get the job." The soup was done. She poured it into a bowl and put the bowl on the table. 

"Oh. Sorry Kate. Maybe he will hire you. Ya never.... ah, ah, ah.... ACHOO!" Ian lifted off his chair and up into the air. He floated there for half a second and then fell back down to where he had been sitting. "....THAT has also been happening all morning." 

"Maybe you should go lie down after you're done eating," Katie said, a bit concerned. 

"Nah..... can't do that." He took a spoonful of the soup and put it in his mouth. He swallowed and then said, "Any ways.... I was thinking that in this state, we are going to need some allies in this city. There have to be others fighting for the side of good. So I was thinking we could cast a spell to find a witch coven." 

"Have you got a spell yet?" Katie sat down next to Ian. 

Ian took another spoonful of soup and slurped it into his mouth. "Nope. Can't think. My head is... clogged." 

Katie sighed. "Alright. Gimme a minute and I'll think of one." 

"Alright..... ACHOO!" 

Katie shook her head and kept thinking. "Ok. I got one... A witch coven is what we need, powers help us, to one lead." 

Ian looked around, and then back at his soup. "....Hey... The letters in this soup are moving. Follow.... the..... signs." Ian looked up. "What does that mean?" 

"It means, follow the signs. But if you're asking what the signs are, I have no idea." Just then the phone rang. Ian picked it up. 

"Hello?...... No there is no Maple here. Yeah. That's ok. Bye." Ian hung up. "They were looking for a person named Maple Ava Nue." Ian then went back to eating his soup. 

Katie coughed pointedly. "Hello? Maple Avenue! The road!" 

"....Really?" 

Katie rolled her eyes. "No. I'm just making it up," she said sarcastically. 

"Ok then....." The phone rang again. "Hello? .....No I wanted 140 bottles of Bud Light, not 134. ..... No it's ok. That will be fine. You'll deliver them to the club later today in tan boxes...? Good to know." Ian rolled his eyes. "Yes. Thank you. .... Yeah, bye." Ian then hung up. "Man those companies are weird. Tan boxes.... and they couldn't get my order right." 

Katie looked at Ian oddly. "Umm... Do you not find anything odd about that? 134... tan... Maple Avenue... That's it. The address is 134, Maple Avenue, tan house!" 

"Achoo! .....Ya think so?" 

"Yes. Now go take some medicine before this gets any worse, alright?" 

"Right..." Ian got up from the table and left the room. Katie gestured and the bowl lifted from the table to go into the sink. She got up and walked into the living room, to sit on the couch and wait for Ian.

Upstairs, Ian was in the bathroom going through the medicine cabinet. He was taking them out one by one to see what symptoms they were for. "No.... I don't have diarrhea... yuck. ...No vomiting. No itchy back. Come on! I have a headache, sore throat, and I am sneezing a lot! Give me something for that!" He took out the next item and looked at the label. "Nyquil.... damn." Ian then took out the last box. "Hmmm...... Sudafed. This should work. 

Ian took out a few pills, put them in his mouth, and swallowed. He then followed up with some water. "Ok.... down to business." Ian left the bathroom and went downstairs. 

"Better?" Katie asked Ian when he came into view. 

"Not yet.... Achoo!" Katie jumped when a pillow beside her blew up, causing fluffing to go everywhere. She sighed. 

_Another mess to clean up later, she thought. "Alright, let's go." She got up and walked out the door to her car. Ian followed her out, grabbing a Kleenex box off the hall table on the way. Katie got into her car and started it. She backed out of the driveway when Ian got in, and turned left. _

Soon they were at Maple Avenue. "Alright. Look for 134." She drove slowly, looking at the addresses on the houses. "126.... 128.... 130.... 132... 134. There we go." Katie parked the car near the house and got out. "Alright. Ready?" Ian got out and shut his door. 

"Aren't I always?" 

"I dunno. But whenever you say 'ready?' you usually try to kill me or something along that line." She started to walk up the sidewalk leading to the house. Ian followed her. 

"Your point?!" 

"The point is that I don't want to be the one that someone attempts murder on all the time." 

"Well excuse me. I am sorry that I was possessed and emotionally psycho from the power of a demon kid, and that I was shot by a corrupted love arrow!" 

Katie shrugged and decided not to answer. They went up the steps and to the door. She rang the doorbell and waited impatiently for an answer. The door opened and a tall woman stood in the door way. "Yes?" she said. 

"We're... Police Inspectors," Katie said. "We need to talk to you in private." Ian glanced at her and whispered so that only his sister could hear. 

"Police Inspectors?" 

"Shush!" Katie hissed. 

The woman eyed them for a moment. "May I see your badges?" she asked. Katie was about to say something when another woman came to the door. 

She whispered something into the other lady's ear and said to Ian and Katie, "You don't need to show the badges. Please, come in." 

Ian glanced at Katie and then followed the two women inside. Ian and Katie followed the women to the living room. 

"Sit," the second lady said. They sat on a couch. "What can we help you with?" 

Ian glanced at Katie again and said. "Uh...... we are not actually Police Inspectors. We are kinda from this... club. A MAGICAL club. We want to know if you are in it also. Want to have some friends there to mingle with. And we heard you were in it." 

"A magical club? ....I guess you could call it that." 

"So... you are witches. We are too." Ian gestured to Katie and himself. 

"Oh..." The lady seemed a bit taken back. "What kind? What powers, I mean." 

"I have premonition, levitation, and molecular combustion." Ian looked at his sister. "Katie, your turn." 

"Temporal stasis, orbing, and telekinesis. Anyway, we were looking for allies...." Katie let her voice drift. The two women looked at each other. 

"So you two are good witches?" 

"Uh.... Yeah. You are too, right?" Katie looked at both of the women in turn. 

"Well...not really!" The woman held up her hands and a strong wind burst fourth. Ian and Katie were knocked back and over the couch. "Now we can rise up in the ranks after we kill you two! We have heard of you. And the Source wants you dead. This is our chance!" Two more witches came in. They grinned evilly. 

Katie ducked behind the couch. "Well... This sucks." 

"Oh yeah." Ian stood up and gestured sharply to blow the witches up, but instead he lifted off the ground and into the air. "Oh crap!" 

"Ian! No time to go flying around!" Katie gestured, trying to bring him to floor. It went too quickly and Ian slammed into the ground. "Ow! ....Freeze them!" 

"Right." Katie looked over the couch and tried to freeze the witches. It didn't work. She ducked back behind the couch. "It didn't work!" 

"What?! ....Oh no." Ian peeked over the couch. The witches were laughing. Then one held up her hand and fire erupted from it, setting the couch aflame. "Come on!" Ian yelled. He grabbed Katie's arm and they ran for the door. But then the floor shook violently, and the two fell. Ian tried to stand, but then a blast of water hit him and he fell back. "They have elemental powers!" 

"Like I didn't know—" Katie's words were cut off when a blast of wind hit her. She flew back and hit the wall. She then fell to the ground, but recovered quickly and stood up. "Can't you like, try to blow them up or something?!" she yelled to her brother. 

"I... I.... ACHOO!" A lamp exploded. "We can't fight them like this!" 

The witches smiled. "They can't even control their powers," one said. She then sent a blast of fire at Ian. "Katie!" Ian yelled. Katie gestured instinctively and the blast got knocked off course, burning a chair. She scrambled over to where Ian was. "Any ideas?" she asked, while watching the witches. 

"Orb us to the car!" Katie held onto Ian's shoulder and orbed to the car. Quickly she started it and began to drive home fairly fast. "Alright, so that didn't go as planned. And how do they know about us?" 

"How do you think? We have been destroying demons, and that does not go unnoticed. But who is this Source guy they spoke of?" 

Katie shrugged. "Maybe it's in the book." 

"I hope so. .... Achoo!" Ian flinched.... but nothing blew up. "Phew....." 

~*~*~

They arrived home a few minutes later, and Katie pulled into the drive. She got out and walked up to the manor. Ian followed her and they went inside. "Alright, Book Of Shadows?" 

"Upstairs." Katie led the way upstairs and into her room. "I was kinda looking through it last night." She picked the book off of the dresser, sat down on the bed, and started flipping. 

"Ok. Look for The Source." Ian sat down next to Katie and looked over her shoulder. Katie flipped quickly, but stopped on the correct page. "The Source of All Evil. Sounds like a nice guy, don't ya think?" 

"Uh huh." Ian read the page out loud. "The Source is the leader of the under world. There have been many. Once one of them dies, a new Source is chosen. A ritual is then performed and the full powers of the Source are given to the new one. The Source's main powers are: Fire balls, Flaming, and shape shifting. He has many that are unknown." Ian looked at Katie. "And this guy wants us dead.... just great." 

"Yeah. So this guy had powers that are unknown which helps us none." 

Ian sighed. "Well he isn't the one we have to worry about at the moment. It's those witches." 

"With your powers on the fritz, and they won't freeze, it'll be kinda hard to vanquish them." 

"This is true.... Achoo!" Bam! ....There was now a small hole in Katie's wall. "Oops..... Sorry Katie." 

Katie sighed. "It's alright." She paused. "Do you think there's anything in the here that'll help?" she asked, already flipping. 

"With the witches or my cold?" 

"Witches." 

"Ah. Well I don't know....... prolly not." Ian looked at his watch. "Crap. I have to get to the club to pick up that order. I'll get back as soon as I can." Ian jumped up and ran out of the room. Once in his car he started it up and drove off to King's Corner. 

When he got there Ian saw the delivery truck parked. "Crap he is already here." Ian got out and ran up to the door. The delivery man was just about to go in. "Hey!" Ian said. The man turned. "Sorry, I'm the owner of this club. I'm a little late as you can see." 

The man nodded. "Look I've got about a million other deliveries to make and there are ten boxes full of beer in the truck for this place, so you mind opening the door and then signing for this stuff?" 

"Sure!" Ian took out his keys and unlocked the door, and then took the clipboard and signed the form. "Ok, just put those boxes right inside." The man nodded again and then went to unload the truck. 

~*~*~

Katie was sitting on her bed, still flipping through the book. "Oh come on. There has to be something in here..." She got to the end and she slammed it shut. "Damn." There was a crash downstairs and she looked automatically into the hall. "What...?" She got up and went quietly to the top of the stairs and looked around the corner. 

The four witches were down there, three of them reprimanding one. Katie cursed under her breath again and thought quickly, while trying to stay out of sight. _Where's Ian when you need him?_ she thought. _Ok... Think... Spell... _ She went into her room again, closed the door and picked up a pen and paper. On it she wrote, 'Evil witch in my sight, vanquish they self, vanquish they might.' 

"Ok, hopefully this'll work." She walked back to the top of the stairs. One of the witches was coming up the stairs, but didn't see her. Katie gestured sharply and the witch flew back and hit the wall. "Evil witch in my sight, vanquish they self, vanquish they might!" The witch screamed in pain and disappeared. The three other witches ran into the room, one of them conjuring up a blast of wind. It hit Katie straight on, and she flew back into the wall.

~*~*~

"That's right.... yeah. Put those boxes over there." The delivery guy brought in the last of the boxes and then left. "Ok, what have we got here?" Ian opened one of the boxes. "Good, Bud Light. Just what we ordered." Ian then began to put the stuff away. "I wonder how Katie is doing on finding away to defeat the witches...." 

~*~*~

Katie jumped behind the couch when a lightning bolt came towards her. It was two against one. She raised her hand above the top of the couch and gestured. A bang was heard when a witch hit the fireplace. She peeked over the couch, and saw only one witch, the one that was in the fireplace. "Where's the other one?" she asked herself. The creak of the floorboards warned her enough to duck. Another lightning bolt whooshed over her head and caught the couch on fire. "Damn." Katie spun around as a bolt caught her in the chest. She fell to the ground, unknowingly sending a wave of panic down the semi existent mind link between her and Ian. 

~*~*~

Ian was putting away some of the bottles when he sensed a wave of panic from his sister. "Katie!" Ian then ran out to his car and sped home, forgetting to lock the club up. 

Once he arrived home he saw flashes of light coming from the house. Ian ran inside to see Katie being knocked against the wall. Water surrounded her, drowning her! Ian turned to the witch that was doing this and ran at her. She turned just in time to see Ian's foot before it hit her in the face. The witch fell back, and the water surrounding Katie disappeared. Katie gasped for breath and opened her eyes. Ian was fighting with one of the witches, but one was coming up behind him. 

"Behind you," she said weakly. 

Ian turned and ducked from a punch. "Oh why you..... Ah.... Achoo!" The witch screamed and exploded. 

"Finally!" Katie gestured as the last witch raised her hands. The witch fell to the floor. "Evil witch in my sight, vanquish they self, vanquish they might!" she said loudly. The witch yelled in rage and disappeared. Katie leaned back on the wall gratefully. "Ugh..." She looked at Ian. "How... I thought you were at the club." 

Ian coughed and then stood straight. "I was. But then I got this feeling that you were in trouble." 

"Oh, right," she said, understanding. 

"Oh no..... the club! I left it unlocked." Ian then bolted back out the door to his car. Katie just waved weakly at his back and closed her eyes.

~*~*~

Once at the club Ian saw that the door was open. "Damn." Ian ran inside to see three men standing there, pulling out beer bottles and prying open the cash register. "Hey!" The men turned. "No one is stealing from me!" The three guys looked at each other, and then one pulled out a gun. "Oh that's a bad idea....." Ian said. "Cause you see.... I am feeling better. So you should be feeling worse if you shoot that gun." 

"Oh yeah?" Ian nodded. "Yeah." Bang! Ian levitated off the ground and the bullet whizzed under him to hit the wall. The three guys shouted out in surprise. Ian came back down to the ground and gestured sharply with one hand. The gun exploded into little fragments. Ian then ran forward at the stunned men and slammed his foot into the nearest one. The guy fell back. Ian then turned and punched the other in the jaw and levitated and kicked the last in the head. After that it was all over. The three men ran. "Achoo! ...Dang... thought I wasn't sick anymore." Ian cleaned up and then left the club, locking it this time. 

He went home to find Katie lying on the couch. "Hey," he said. 

Katie rolled over onto her back to look at Ian. "Hi. Your club ok?" 

Ian sat down in a chair. "Yeah. Three guys were robbing it when I got there.... but I took care of them." He gave her a wry smile. 

"Ah." She pulled a cover from the back of the couch and wrapped it around herself. Just then the phone rang. 

"...Right when I sit down, the phone rings!" Ian got up and went into the next room. He grabbed the phone off the wall. "Hello? ....Yes she is. May I ask who is calling? ....Ok. Hold on one moment." Ian set the phone down and went back to Katie. "Guess what? It's that guy from the interview that you had today." 

Katie groaned and got up. She went into the kitchen and picked up the phone. "Hello? Yes. .... Seriously? Thank you! Bye." She hung up the phone and turned to Ian. "I got the job!" she said happily. 

"Alright! ...What was it for again?" Katie glared at Ian.

**A/N: GASP! Another story—IN THE SAME DAY!—and my homework isn't done yet! Yay! ...Wait, that's bad. Meh, it's Friday; I have two days to finish it. Even though I have two assignments to catch up on... *shifts eyes* And all math. But really, you don't want to know about my sucky school life, do you? Didn't think so.**

**Well... Thanks Arion/Damien455 for the quick review. As you know, I don't demand you review... but it would sure help here! ;) Just to make me feel better, lol. But really, don't review if you have no idea what to say (which I do a lot... So it's not just you ;)), or think the whole thing is crap. **

**And I seriously have no idea if I should put a disclaimer in here, so I think I will anyway, to down the chances of getting sued. But really, if anyone did, they have major issues and problems.**

**DISCLAMER: I don't own nothin of Charmed.**** This basically includes the demons, powers, concept, or even the quotes we sometimes use from the show. You know why? Cause I'm poor and don't own a paperclip, let alone a whole dang show. But I wish I did! Then I'd be forkin™ rich!**


	9. It's In The Past

**A/N: I have no fricken clue what is up with Ian's bio. Sorry for the format. Oh, and the wait. Thanks for all the reviews, guys. I'll try harder to update more.**

Ian was on his way home from a friend's party. The party had been pretty close to home so Ian had walked. At the moment though it was very dark, and late at night. He decided to take a short-cut through the local cemetery. The manor was just a few blocks from there. 

Ian opened the gate that led into the cemetery. It creaked loudly and Ian thought that the dead might rise from that noise. After going through, Ian quickly shut the gate. He made his way through the cemetery. Ian walked between the tombstones, trying not to touch them. But then he tripped on a root and had no choice but to grab onto a tombstone to keep himself from falling. The moment he touched it, Ian got a vision. 

He saw a large demon that looked human running through this cemetery... a crowed of people were chasing him dressed in olden time clothes and carrying pitch forks.... The demon stopped and turned to the crowed and threw an energy ball.... there was a bright flash and the man that had been hit was gone.... then the crowed froze.... Ian saw two people enter the scene... they looked a little like Katie and Ian. The girl put her hands down and the demon turned and threw an energy ball.... the man levitated into the air and the attack missed him. The girl then held out her hand and a pitch fork flew from one of the frozen people's hand to hers... She then ran forward and stabbed the pitch fork through the demon...._ FLASH! The vision ended. _

~*~*~

Katie padded into the kitchen for a late night snack. She grabbed a box of Goldfish and went out to the living room. She had just sat on the couch and flipped on the T.V. when Ian came in. "Hey." 

"Hi," Ian said quickly. "I just got a vision. But this one was different. It was one of the past.... I think." 

"You think?" She raised an eyebrow and turned down the volume of the T.V. "Alright... What was it then?" 

Ian sat down next to Katie. "Well... it was strange. I saw a demon that looked human, and there was a crowd of people chasing him. He killed one and then the crowd froze. Then I saw two people that looked a little like you and me and they killed the demon. Yet I didn't see him blow up like the others, and he must not have cause I got the vision when I grabbed onto his tombstone." 

"So he's a ghost?" 

"I didn't see any ghost around the cemetery. But I looked at the name on the stone. Mitchell Watson. I think that is his human name. Let's look in the Book Of Shadows. I know what he looks like." 

"Alright." Katie turned off the television and followed Ian upstairs. They went into Kate's room and Ian grabbed the book and sat on the bed. He began to page through it, looking for the demon he had seen in his vision. 

After a minute he found the page. "Ok.... he is a demon called Ranar.... upper level, half demon. Human name is Mitchell Watson. Says he has the power to throw energy balls and shimmer. And look..... it also says that our ancestors tried to kill him along time ago. Since there was no vanquishing spell, they stabbed him with a pitch fork.... ouch. Before the body died, Ranar said that he would return and get his revenge. The demon half still lives in him so there is a chance that he could rise and walk the earth again." Ian looked at Katie. "I think that my vision was telling me that it would be soon. But when.... maybe we should go back to the cemetery and see if we can find something that can help us. Maybe I can even get a vision of the future this time and figure this all out."

"Ok." Katie held onto Ian's arm and orbbed them to the cemetery. "So where's this tombstone?" 

Ian led her to it. "Right..." he gasped when they reached it, "here..." The grave was open... and it was empty. 

"....Ian... Where's the body?" Katie asked. She went to the edge of the hole and looked it. Yup, it was empty. "Where did he-" There was the snap of a twig behind them. Ian and Katie spun around. And there stood Mitchell Watson, alive. He conjured an energy ball and threw it into Ian. 

"Ah!" Ian fell back and into the grave. Dirt then began to fall on him.... very quickly. "Katie! Help!" Above ground, Katie had been grabbed by the demon around her neck. He lifted her up off the ground. 

"I have come for my revenge!" Katie gasped for breath. The demon's hold was tight. She orbed out of his grasp to the other side of the grave and looked down quickly to see Ian getting buried alive. She gestured and the dirt flew up. Crouching down, she reached a hand down to Ian to help him out of the hole. Ian grasped Katie's hand and scrambled out of the grave. He then turned to the demon and tried to blow him up. The demon was just knocked back onto the ground. "Ok, quick! Orb us home!" Katie grabbed Ian's shoulder and orbed them to the manor.

~*~*~

"Well, any ideas?" 

Ian ran a hand through his hair. "....A very powerful demon has come back from the dead to get revenge on our family, which is just us now, and there is no known way to vanquish him.... So no, I don't." 

"Well, when the demon was killed by our ancestors, they weren't as powerful as us, right? Maybe we just need a spell or some potion, or something." 

"Maybe. But if this demon was powerful enough to rise from the dead....." Ian sighed. "How do you think he did that anyway?" 

"I dunno. But however he did it, he has to be very powerful like you said." Katie walked into the kitchen and put a pot on the stove. Then she pulled down several herbs from the cabinet and started adding some to the pot. 

Ian followed her and sat at the counter. "....And what potion are you making?" 

"I'm not sure yet. Just hoping I'll figure something out. Can't hurt to try." 

"Katie! Have you gotten it through your head that magic can be very dangerous??? One wrong thing it that potion could kill us!" 

Katie turned around to look at Ian. "Look. I know what I'm doing, mostly. I promise I won't kill us or burn down the house or something." 

Ian glared. "Fine. Whatever! Wish I could just orb to Florida, like you can if you wanted to... so then I wouldn't have to deal with this!" Just as Ian said that Katie dropped another item into the pot and there was a puff of smoke and a loud bang. A bright blue beam flashed out from Ian's chest and a purple one from Katie's, and they blasted into one another. The two fell back. "What the hell was that?!" 

Katie sat up. "I dunno." She got up off the floor and looked at Ian. "At least I didn't damage anything!" she said brightly. 

Ian stood up. "Except me.... I will prolly get a bruise from this." 

"Baby," she muttered. 

Ian stuck out his tongue. "I am not... just really tired." He looked at the clock on the wall. "Ugh..... it's 2 in the morning." 

Katie sighed. "You go to bed. I'll keep trying to make some sort of potion." 

"Finally! Bed!" The next thing he knew, Ian was in his room. "Ah! Katie!" 

Katie stared at the place Ian was standing before he orbed. She ran to the foot of the stairs as Ian was coming down. "You orbed!" 

"I what?! How?" Ian got to the bottom of the staircase. 

"That blast from the pot... And you saying you wanted to orb... It mighta switched our powers or something..." 

"Oh no.... oh no no no. We can't have this happen now! That demon is after us! It wont take him long to find us!" 

"Dude, calm down. I'm going to go make a potion, or a few. You go get some rest. You look exhausted." 

"I can't really sleep now....do you remember what you put in that potion?" 

"A pigs foot, ginger... I dunno!" She gestured a bit wildly and the vase on the dining room table blew up. "...Oops." 

"Great..... now what do we do? You have my powers and I have yours, and we can't control them." He sighed and let his eyes close for a second. "Let's just both go to bed, but one of us stand watch. We'll take turns. We are gonna need sleep if we plan to do anything tomorrow.... I mean today." 

"You. Upstairs. Now." Katie pointed up the steps and glared at Ian. 

"Fine. But wake me up in an hour or two so I can take the next watch." He then headed upstairs and into his room. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow. 

The next thing Ian saw was the sun shining in his eyes. He covered his face quickly and then sat up. Katie hadn't woken him up. Ian leaped from his bed and threw open the door. And there sat Katie, in a chair she had pulled from her room, asleep. "Katie..... wake up!" 

Katie jerked awake. "S'matter?" 

Ian stood there and crossed his arms. "Why didn't you get me up last night?" 

"Cause you needed the sleep." 

"And so did you." Ian shook his head and then took Katie's arm, dragging her from her seat. "Come on. We have to make a plan or practice with these powers.... or something." 

"Alright, alright." Katie followed Ian downstairs, then leaned against the wall. "Ok, you try orbbing into the living room." Ian closed his eyes and thought hard. He orbed out..... but then orbed back in the same spot. "Crap.... you try levitating." Katie jumped up, but didn't levitate. She tried again with no success. "Ok, I can do this," she said to herself. Concentrating hard, she jumped up the air and floated up.... Then crashed back down to the floor. "Ow..." 

Ian laughed. "Now you know how I felt when I started with that power." 

"Shut up and try to move something." She got up and sat down on the last step. Ian turned towards a lamp that sat on a long table next to the wall. He tried movin it across the table, but it flew off and hit the wall, shattering. "Well.... there goes another one." 

"Ian!" Katie cried. "That was a good lamp!" 

"Sorry." Ian sighed. "We can't get control of these powers before that demon finds us." 

"Sure we can. Try the chair." Ian turned to a nearby chair and swung his hands towards it. It moved a couple feet and then stopped. "Good!" Katie got up. "Alright... What can I try to blow up?" 

"No! Don't.... try... anything. You might blow me up." 

She rolled her eyes. "Ok... Fine." Ian glanced at his watch. 

"Look.... even with stuff happening like this, I have to get to work. Don't you?" She sighed. 

"Yeah. Really bad timing though." Katie went upstairs to get ready for work. Ian shook his head and went into the kitchen to grab a breakfast bar or something of the sort. He then yelled a goodbye to Kate and went out the door to his car. Katie got dressed in a dark red shirt and jeans. Then she quickly walked downstairs and was out of the house and on her way to work within five minutes. 

~*~*~

Ian was at the club, alone, working on some paper work that needed to be done. Yet his mind was not totally focused on that. Images of Ranar kept popping into Ian's head. He kept thinking of that grave caving in on him. Almost being buried alive. Almost—

_Crack! Ian's head came up. "Hello?" Ian got up and looked around the room. "Is someone there?" He went around the bar and started to check the club. Crunch! Ian spun around. No one was there. Ian listened hard for a second. Then he felt the hot breath of someone behind him. Someone grabbed Ian around the throat from behind! _

"Agh!" was all Ian could manage before his voice was cut off. Ian jabbed his elbow back into his attacker. That loosened the grip and Ian was able to break free. He spun around to look at his foe. It was Ranar. 

Ian raised his hands to blast the demon, but Ranar was too fast. He threw an energy ball right into Ian. Ian flew back and into the wall. "Ah!" Ian yelled, as he fell to the floor. He raised his head in time to see Ranar pull an athame from his jacket. 

"You die now." Ian got to his feet and swung his arm towards Ranar. The demon was thrown back into a table, smashing it to pieces. 

"I'm not dead yet," Ian said. 

Ranar stood. "Oh yes you are." He then threw the athame straight at Ian. It hit him in the stomach. Ian did not scream in pain, he did not cry out. He just fell to the ground. Ranar could not tell if Ian was dead or not. He looked dead. Ranar grinned evilly and then shimmered out. Out to find the last living King. 

~*~*~

It was lunch break. Katie sighed gratefully as she got up from the chair in her cubical. She walked outside and pulled out her cell phone to call Ian. There was no answer. Worried, she quickly got into her car and drove there. Katie walked into the club to see Ian lying on the ground, a knife in his stomach, in a small pool of blood. She ran over to him. "Ian? Ian, wake up!" she cried, shaking him a little. 

"Kate...? I..... I couldn't stop him. He is too strong." 

"That's alright. I... I just have to get you to the hospital. It'll be ok," Katie said, her voice breaking. She looked down at the athame. "You're probably not gonna like this, but I gotta keep that knife in you. Otherwise the bleeding will get worse." 

Ian nodded a little and then breathed deeply to get some air. He was still losing blood and if Ian did not get treatment soon, he would die. "Katie...Ranar will be coming after you. You have to learn to control my powers you... you wont be able to stand up to him. I... I can't help you. I....." Ian then slumped back, unconscious. 

"Dammit!" Katie got up and ran to the phone. She dialed 911. "Hello? I need an ambulance at King's Corner. My brother got stabbed in the stomach and is dying. Hurry." She hung up the phone and ran back and knelt next to Ian, putting his head in her lap. 

Soon paramedics came. "What happened?" a woman asked. 

"I'm not sure," she half lied. "I just came here on my lunch break and he was lying on the floor, with the knife in him." 

The male paramedic knelt down next to Ian and Katie. "Ok, it is not a good idea to move him right away. First we need to get that knife and bandage him up." The paramedic took some supplies out of his has and went to work. After a moment the athame lay on the floor, bloodstained, and the medic was just finishing putting bandages on Ian. "Alright," he said, "Let's get him to the hospital. Jane? Can you go grab that stretcher?" Jane nodded and went to get the stretcher. A minute later Ian was in an ambulance, driving towards the hospital. 

~*~*~

Katie was sitting on the hospital bed next to Ian, waiting for him to wake up. A doctor came into the room and she looked up. "Is he going to be alright?" 

The doctor nodded. "He should be alright. But I don't understand this. Do you know what could have happened to him?" 

She shook her head. Better to act ignorant. "No, I don't. As I told the paramedics, I just came from my lunch break and found him lying on the floor with that knife in him." 

The doctor frowned and then shook his head. "Well Ian will have to stay here for a couple of nights. And when he goes home he must stay in bed for about two weeks so that wound can heal." The doctor then turned and left the room. 

Ian opened his eyes. He had heard what the doctor had said. "Kate?" Katie looked at Ian. 

"Yep?" she asked gently.

 "I can't stay in bed for that long. We have to take out Ranar. And of course there will be other demons." Ian winced as a wave of pain hit him. "You have to go home and find a healing potion in the book. But be careful..... Ranar should attack you soon." 

She shook her head. "I'm not leaving you here. I don't trust these doctors." 

"You don't trust them? They are doctors? What's not to trust? And if we don't heal me soon then we wont have a chance against Ranar. I mean-" There was then a loud crash from out in the hallway. There were screams and the sound of people running could be heard. 

The door then flew open, and there was Ranar in his human form. "I thought I killed you! Why wont you die?!" 

"Uhh.. This is not good." Katie jumped up off the bed to stand in front of Ian. She gestured, meaning to close the door and bring Ranar into the room, but there was a spark and Ranar stumbled back. "Damn," she cursed to herself. 

Ian grabbed Kate's hand and closed his eyes. He then used all his strength to orb them to the parking lot outside. Ian groaned in pain. "....Katie, where's your car? We have to get home." A second later, Ranar appeared near them. Ian threw up his hands and was surprised to see Ranar freeze. "Ok, he won't stay like that for long. Now again I ask.... where's your car?!" 

"It's.... at the club. I rode in the ambulance Katie put an arm around Ian's waist. "Lean on me. We have to hide." She helped him walk and crouch behind a car. 

"We have to get home some how. I don't have the strength to orb us. I doubt I would even be able to do it if I wasn't injured. What are we gonna do?" 

"Um.... We have to use a spell. I haven't got one on hand though." 

Ian concentrated hard. "Ok..... To our house that we can share, make a portal, in the air." The air in front of them rippled and a portal opened up. On the other side Ian could see the main hall of their house. "Let's go." 

Katie helped Ian up again and they walked through the portal. "We have to close it. Portal in my sight, disperse now, leave no trace." The portal closed up. "Never could do that rhyming thing," she told Ian while helping him to the couch. 

"That's for sure." Ian grunted as he sat down. "Ok, we need a healing potion, and we need one now. It wont take Ranar long to find out where we are." 

Katie ran upstairs to get the book, then came back down. She sat in the chair across from Ian and started flipping. "What makes you think there is a potion?" 

"Because I saw one before when we were frantically flipping through the book a few weeks ago." 

"Oh.... Right." Katie found the page. "Ok, I'll go make the potion, you stay here and live." She walked into the kitchen and started making the potion. 

"Yeah.... I'll just lay here and slowly die while the demon of the day is tracking us down. Yep....it's all good." 

Katie came back in a few moments later with a small glass of a dark blue substance. She handed the glass to Ian. "Drink up!" 

"Oh yes, thank you. It's not everyday I get to drink.... mandrake root.... and whatever the hell else this crap is." Ian drank the potion and breathed in deeply. His stomach glowed for a moment and then Ian smiled. "The pain's gone." 

"Good. Maybe now you can help vanquish the demon!" Katie said brightly. "Hey, try making the book come over here." She sat on the couch. 

"You know the pain may be gone but I still feel a little weak." But Ian sighed and then held out his hands. The Book of Shadows jumped from where it lay and into his hands. "Well wadda ya know. I'm gettin good." 

"Yes, yes." Katie grabbed the book from his hands and opened it up. "Ok... Spell..." she said while searching. "What do you mean, 'spell'? I already told you. There was nothing in there for vanquishing this guy. And you were reading the thing with me." 

Katie glared. "Well, thanks for killing all hope, O Smart One," she said sarcastically. 

"What?! There was no hope to begin with." 

"There's always hope to begin with! If there wasn't, you'd probably be dead at this mo-" She got cut off by a vase breaking in the foyer. "Uh... oh..." Katie said quietly. 

"Man that guy is clumsy! Always breaking things." Ian stood up just as Ranar came into the room. "This time, I will kill you." He then threw an energy ball at Katie. 

"Katie! Levitate!" 

Katie hopped up in the air and was surprised when she floated up. The power soon ran out though and she fell hard onto the couch. 

Ian ran forward and began to fight with Ranar. He felt he had a better chance at hand to hand combat rather than trying to use Kate's powers. Yet he was wrong. Just a minute after Ian began to fight Ranar, the demon got a hold of him and threw Ian across the room. He slammed into the wall and fell to the floor. 

Katie stood up. "Why, you little..." She gestured. There was a spark and Ranar stumbled back. She went over to Ian and gave him a hand to help him up. "Thanks." Ian turned to Ranar threw his hands up, hoping to freeze him. Nothing happened. "This is not working! We have to switch our powers back....Uh..... We call upon the powers that be, help us in this time of need, so that we may get on track, use your strength to switch our powers back!" There was a flash and a purple beam shot from Ian, and a blue one from Katie. The beams blasted back into their original owners and the two fell back. "Yes! It worked!" 

"Finally!" Katie gestured sharply and the demon stumbled back a couple feet. "That's not the way to do it. Like this!" Ian turned to Ranar. "I think that it is time for _you_ to die." Ian then gestured sharply with his hands and Ranar screamed out and vaporized. "I am so glad that we are rid of that guy." 

"Yep. Me too." Ian sighed and sat down. "You know.... your powers are good and all. But I think I like mine better." 

Katie leaned against the wall and folded her arms. "You're the one who wanted the power to orb." 

"Well..... when you do it yourself.... it kinda makes you sick. Yet what would I know? I had been stabbed in the stomach. I was as sick as I could get at the time." 

"No... Not really. You were wounded, not sick." 

Ian glared at Katie. "Let's stab you in the stomach and see how you feel." 

She grinned. "Nah, I'm good." She looked at the clock. It was about 5:00 PM. "Hey, I think you need to go get you're club ready to open up. Mind if I tag along?" 

"Uh..... no." Ian smiled and then grabbed Kate's arm to pull her out the door.

~*~*~

While music played in the background Ian and Kate stood behind the bar. "Here's to.... being alive." 

"Uhh... Yeah. That would be a good toast." Katie picked up her bottle and clinked it with Ian's. She looked down and traced imaginary figures with her finger. "Sis.... you are one weird person. But what am I talking about? I am a male witch. Now THAT is some weird stuff." He smiled and Katie just rolled her eyes. 


	10. Shadow Games

"What are you doing?" That was the first thing Ian asked when he walked into the kitchen and found Kate sitting next to an open fridge. 

"I'm hot," Kate replied. 

"Uh huh, well I am too. It is a very hot day. But you see..... it's not good to have the fridge open in hot weather! It will make the food go bad." 

"....Got any better ideas, smart one?" Katie she asked, half glaring at him. 

"Yeah. Go turn on the air conditioning. I was gonna turn it on before I left this morning but I forgot. I thought you knew we had one." 

"I live here for a few months and you expect me to know everything?" She got up and closed the fridge, annoyed. 

"It hasn't been a few. It's been five. And it is only the beginning of April. This massive heat wave is weird." Ian sat down at the table and picked up the newspaper.

"Yeah, well, so is everything else. Where is the air conditioner?" 

"Basement." Ian turned a page. "Alright...... the funnies." 

Katie rolled her eyes and went down stairs. Soon she came back up. "Alright, turned it on. Hand me the advice column?" she asked, sitting down at the table next to Ian. 

"What for.....? Oh look! Garfield whacks another spider! Ha!" 

"You need help." Katie reached over and grabbed the page with the column and started reading. 

Ian didn't pay any attention to her. He kept reading the paper, totally oblivious to anything that was going on around him. Until he realized that the house didn't seem to be getting cooler. ".....Are you sure you turned on the air conditioning?" 

She shrugged. "Your house." 

Ian got up and whacked Katie with the newspaper and then headed for the basement. Once down there Ian checked the machine. "Well.... it's on..... and it seems cooler down here. But it should be going through the whole house. Maybe it's just running a little slow." Ian shrugged and went back up stairs. 

But as the afternoon went on, it got hotter. "Man! What is up? Let's turn on the news and see what they say." 

Katie sighed. She was watching some documentation on the sea. "Fine..." She turned on the news. 

"Folks, we advise you to stay inside. This heat wave has become dangerous. Many have been fainting and others being dehydrated. There don't seem to be any sunburns though. The sun isn't very bright...... that's what's odd. Also, reports of fires starting have come in. Trees and bushes have just burst into flames. We think that the heat is causing this. Again, please stay inside and try to keep cool. We will have more on that later. In other news— "

Ian muted the T.V. "This doesn't sound like an average heat wave. The sun doesn't seem to be the cause." 

"Sounds... oddly demonic, if you ask me," Katie said, leaning back and looking up at Ian. 

"Yep..... I say we check this out. People if this gets worse, people could die. And it has also been said that heat can make people go crazy if it gets hot enough and they can't keep cool." 

She groaned slightly as she got up. "What type of demon can even make a heat wave… or would want to, for that matter?" Katie asked herself more than Ian as they walked up the stairs. 

"I have no idea. But we will find out, and then vanquish him.... or her..... or it." They reached Ian's room and he took the BOS and opened it while sitting down on the bed.

After a couple minutes of searching through the book, Katie got frustrated. "There's nothin in there!" she exclaimed. 

Ian turned another page. "Oh really? Look at this." Ian pointed at the page. "Magma Demon. This demon can create massive waves of heat throughout long distances. When concentrated on something, this demons heat attack can vaporize objects and people. Level three danger rating, this demon should be avoided if possible." 

"Apparently it can't be avoided." 

Ian sighed. "Nope.... well let's scry for him and then send him to where it's really hot." He gave Katie a look. "And no, it's not Florida." 

"Hawaii, then?" 

"No! Hell, Kate! Hell." 

"....Right. That's what I meant." 

Ian glared at his sister and then got up. "Can you go get the crystal and map?" 

Katie gestured slightly and the crystal and map came over from the dresser to land on Ian's lap. 

"Tsk tsk.... using magic for personal gain." 

"Just scry, will you?" 

"Fine." Ian picked up the crystal and began to rotate it over the map. "Ok....I got nothin yet. Nothi-" The crystal then made a sharp pull and landed on the map. "Ok. We got something." Ian looked at the address. "He is pretty much in the center of the city." 

"Great. So we may have to fight in public?" 

Ian shrugged. "Maybe not. The news reporter said to stay inside." Ian got up and put the crystal and map away, but not before copying down the address. "Ok, we know what kind of demon this is, but we don't really have any idea how to stop him. I'm not sure if we can just vanquish him with my power.... maybe we should make a few spells and potions just incase." 

"I'll make potions, you make spells. You're better at the whole rhyming, thinking... thing." Katie got up and walked back downstairs. 

Ian got up and followed her, taking the book with. They went into the kitchen and Ian sat at the table while Katie got out a pot for some potions. "Ok..... spells." Ian got out a note pad and began to write some things down. "What potions are you planning on using?" 

"Acid, bright light, those boom ones for me... stuff we might need." She pulled down jar after jar of ingredients. "Alright... This... One of these..." she said, talking to herself as she put stuff into a pot that was on the stove. 

After a few minutes of working Ian stood up. "Ok. I have three. Two offensive and one defensive. What have you got done?" 

Katie pointed to a bottle with a yellow liquid. "Bright light." She pointed to bottle after bottle, naming the things they did. "Acid. Boom. Smoke. Two offensive and two defensive." 

"Can you make one that acts like your freezing power? Just incase that your power won't work against him?" 

"Sure." She had studied the potion making, and was getting pretty good at it. 

A few minutes later there was a small burst of smoke from the pot. "Done!" She put the potion into two bottles, keeping one for herself. "Take one of each," she told him, grabbing 4 bottles, one of each. "By the way, what do your spells do?" 

Ian took the potions. "One sets a temporary shield around us, another turns people into stone.... and the last one will.... well melt them I guess is the best way to say it." Ian wiped some sweat from his head. It was still getting hotter. "Well we better do this quickly. Or else I am just gonna go up in flames." 

"Please don't. I have no idea what I would do without a brother." Katie grinned crookedly and started to walk toward the front door, grabbing her keys off the peg on the way. 

Ian hurried after her, wanting to get this all over with very soon. The two got into Katie's car and Ian immediately turned the AC way up. "Ok. Start driving. I'll direct you to the address." 

Katie nodded and backed out of the driveway, turning left. "Got a plan?" 

"Well we find this demon, throw some potions, say some spells, and hope that he leaves in a puff of smoke..... or a flash of light..... or a big explosion. One of those." 

"No duh. Turn right?" Ian nodded, and Katie continued, "I was talking about if we find him somewhere we can't 'hide', if you get what I'm saying." 

"Uh..... you mean from the public or from him?" 

"...Public." 

"Well we will just have to hope that the demon is in a place where he can't really be seen. And if there is anyone else around.... we freeze them. Turn here." Ian pointed left.

They arrived close to where the crystal had said the demon would be. The heat had been getting worse as they got nearer and nearer to the center of the city. And no it was just unbearable. Ian felt like he was going to burn up. He wanted to go home and jump into a tub of ice cold water. But they had to destroy this demon first. Kill him and the heat would be gone. Kate and Ian got out of the car and looked around. 

"There is no one here. The place is deserted. Good thing too." 

Ian then nodded in the direction that the massive wave of heat seemed to be coming from. "That way." The two walked forward and then around the corner. The air seemed thick. You could cut a knife right through it. Ian looked down a small side alley. And there was a large demon. Standing with his arms and palms out to his side. Heat was just wafting off him. 

The demon did not seem to notice Ian and Katie. "Well," Ian said, "Let's finish this." He began to walk forward, but stopped when he saw something strange happen. The shadow of a trash bin seemed to be moving.... yet there should not have even been a shadow. There was no light shining on it to create one. The shadow then rose up and shifted into the form of a man.... and became whole, and real. Ian backed up and pulled Katie with him and back around the corner a little so as not to be noticed. They then watched. The other demon stopped what he was doing and turned. "Who the hell are you?" he asked. 

"I am a shadow thief," said the new comer. "And I have come for your shadow." The Magma demon looked confused. 

"What are you talking about? What do you mean?" The Shadow Thief just smiled and the held up his hand. The other demon's shadow wavered on the ground and then leapt up. It hung in the air for a moment, a dark blob, and then it was sucked into the Shadow Thief's hand. He then turned and pointed. The shadow leaped out of his finger and hit the ground. It then moved.... shifted.... and shaped itself. It grew large.... and became a shadowy mirror image of its former owner. It was slightly transparent, but it's eyes were solid. They were a dark and evil red. The Shadow Thief looked at the Magma demon.

"Your shadow is now my slave. And I turn him against you.... now." The shadow threw its hand up and pointed it at the Magma demon. The air rippled between them as an immense discharge of heat was sent out. It hit the Magma demon and he screamed out as fire engulfed him. Then all that was left was some smoking ash. 

"Oh my god....." Ian said, but a little too loudly. 

The Shadow Thief looked right at him. "Ah..... good. You're next." 

Ian stood straight. "Kate, run! Back to the car!" 

"You're kidding, right?" Katie pulled out the potions. She threw the bright light one while looking away. "Spell!" 

Ian pulled out one of the note pad pieces of paper and read. "We call upon Medusa's bones, turn this demon's flesh in to stone." Just as Ian said it the demon changed back into a shadow and rippled across the pavement. He changed again, right in front of Ian and Kate. "Say bye bye to your shadows." He held out his hand and Ian and Katie's shadows leapt up in into his palm. 

"Now your shadows are mine. They will be evil.... and they have your powers." He laughed and let the shadows loose. They formed into shadowy figures of Kate and Ian. 

"Oh no," Ian said. The shadow Kate waved her arm and Ian and Katie were flung back. They landed on the pavement with a thud. "This.... is bad!" Ian shouted. He gestured sharply at his own shadow to blow it up. The shadow exploded and pieces flew all over, like black paint. But they just then reassembled and became whole again. "This is very bad!" 

"I haven't noticed!" Katie said sarcastically. Shadow-Ian raised his hand and was about to blow her up. She flung her arm in his direction, causing him to hit the wall behind him. "Well, they aren't immune to all our powers." Once Shadow-Ian hit the wall, he spread out into a pancake shape and then recoiled back out into the street and reshaping. 

"It doesn't seem like our powers work that well," Ian said. 

The Shadow Thief looked down on Ian and Kate. "Well this has been fun, but I have chaos to create. I won't have to worry about you much longer anyway. Once the sun goes down, and you don't have your shadows.... you will vanish from this world. Forever." He laughed evilly and then held out his hand. The three shadows were sucked back in and then the Shadow Thief became a shadow himself and slid away. In a matter of seconds, he was gone. 

"Well," Ian said, "this really sucks. But at least it isn't really hot anymore." 

"Somehow," Katie said, while getting up, "I doubt that's the most pressing problem!" 

"He said that we would vanish by sun down without our shadows." Ian looked at his watch. "It's about four now." 

"So we have about two hours till we die? This is comforting." She walked back toward the car. 

Ian followed her closely. "Well let's see..... there a shadow images of us that have our powers and seem..... indestructible, there is also another shadow with the power of a demon, and there is this Shadow Thief guy who might go on stealing more shadows. So....." Ian said as he got into the car, "What are our options?" 

"We're screwed." Katie got into the drivers side and turned on the car. "But I guess we go look in the book," she said as she started driving home. 

They arrived home and the two started up the stairs towards Ian's room. "The best way to end all this would be to defeat the Shadow Thief. But whenever we say a spell or throw a potion, he changes back into the shadow form and it doesn't affect him. Maybe there is something in the book on supernatural shadows." Ian grabbed the BOS off of his dresser and sat down on the bed. 

"So we need something to keep him from turning into a shadow," Katie said, sitting down next to him. 

"Well there's nothin to it," Ian said sarcastically. "Yet if the Shadow Thief isn't in the book..... do you think there would be something on shadows in here?" 

"Maybe... Though I don't think so." 

Ian set the book aside. "Then what is the point of going through that whole thing, trying to find something that prolly isn't there? I say we just make our own way of defeating this guy." 

"Ok... Got any ideas, genius?" Katie grabbed the book and started to flip through it anyway, in hope she could find something. 

"Hmm...... I think I might. Maybe we can use the bright light potion, but make it stronger, and cover a wider area. That way he wont be able to change into a shadow, because it wouldn't be able to exist in the light. So it would have to be a surrounding light...... Oh what am I thinking? That will never work." 

She sighed in frustration, annoyed that the book didn't have anything. "You may have a plan there. We would need a spell, to get back out shadows, or destroy him, or whatever." 

"And we have to do all this by sun down. Just great." 

Katie nodded distractedly. She couldn't really believe this was happening. _But it is, she thought. "Ok. So I'll make the potion." She got up and went down to the kitchen. The ingredients were still on the counter, so she started doubling the potion. _

Ian followed Katie down into the kitchen. He sat at the kitchen table and stared at his hands. They seemed different. Maybe it was just the light.... but his hands seemed.... fuzzy. Ian shook his head and turned to Kate. "What do we do if this doesn't work? We need a back up plan." 

Katie sighed and looked at Ian in the eyes, with sadness in hers. "If this doesn't work..." she drifted off, and went back to work on the potion. 

"Then we wont' live to regret it," Ian finished for her. She nodded. 

Katie finished making the potion a few minutes later. She came over to the table an set one of two bottles in front of Ian. 

Ian took it. "Well, let's see if this works. It's almost five thirty." 

Katie walked back out to her car and got in, her mind reeling with unpleasant thoughts. She hated those. Hurriedly, she turned on the car when Ian got in and started to drive to the center of the town. 

Ian looked around. "We have no idea where these guys are. How are we going to find them?" 

"I dunno... Do you smell smoke?" Katie looked out the window, looking for a fire, or more likely, smoke. 

Ian sniffed. "Yeah.... I do. Where is it coming from?" 

"There." She pointed to the left, and turned toward the building on fire. It came into view. "Uh... oh..." 

Ian was looking the other way. "What?" He turned his head. "Oh god! No! Katie, stop the car!" Katie did and Ian jumped out. Ian's club was on fire. Flames engulfed it. And standing in front of the club was the shadow of the Magma demon, Ian and Katie's shadows, and the Shadow Thief. Katie ran after Ian, toward the demons. She froze the flames while running, and gestured at the Magma demon's shadow, causing him to lose concentration when he fell back. 

The Shadow Thief turned. "You again!" He then motioned Shadow-Ian and Shadow-Katie to attack. Ian came up against his own shadow. Ian threw a punch, but it just went right through. 

"Uh oh..." Ian's shadow grabbed his arm and swung Ian around. "WhooooOOOOAAAAAHHHH!!!" The shadow let go and Ian flew through the air, landing on the hood of Kate's car. 

Katie found it weird to be fighting herself. She had already tried a kick. It went through the shadow, much like a ghost. Cursing, she tried using telekinesis on her shadow. Luckily it worked, though it only made the shadow fly back a couple of feet. Then Katie remembered she had three, no, four, potions in her pocket. She drew out the acid one and threw it at her shadow. The potion went right through and crashed against a wall, burning a hole through it. "Damn." Katie's shadow got up and rushed her, throwing her to the ground... hard. 

Ian rubbed his head and rolled off the car and onto his feet. Katie's freeze had worn off and the club was flaming again. Ian's shadow was coming towards him. The shadow raised his transparent hands and gestured with them. "Ah!" Ian ducked and the windshield of Kate's car shattered. "Oh you better hope that she has insurance!" Ian walked towards his shadow and they circled each other. That was when Ian noticed something. 

His hand.... it had gone from fuzzy.... to transparent! Ian was fading. Sundown was drawing nearer and Ian would soon vanish forever. As Ian watched, his hand disappeared. His other hand began to fade as well. His whole body was beginning to become see through. "Kate! We have to end this now!" Ian looked down at his legs. They were disappearing, like they were being erased by a giant pencil. 

Katie looked down at herself. She gasped in surprise and fright when she realized she, too, was becoming transparent. "We have to vanquish the demon!" 

"But what do we do after we throw the potion?! We don't have a spell!" 

"I thought you made one!" 

"No, I didn't! I wasn't thinking." Ian shook his head. "But there is no time! Throw the potion!" Ian took out the one he had, but his hand disappeared and the potion fell to the ground and broke. 

_FLASH! Ian fell back while shielding his eyes with his arms. "Katie! Throw your potion!" She quickly threw the potion before her hand became transparent. A bright light, like looking at the sun, appeared. _

"AH!" The Shadow Thief screamed and shielded his eyes. They only had a few precious seconds. Ian's mind was racing. He stood up and tried to think of a spell. His body had now faded, all the way up to his shoulders. 

"Where there are shadows, there is light, we vanquish thee with our might, evil being.... we have won this fight!" Ian's head was all that was left. The Shadow Thief yelled out in pain and exploded in a wave of darkness. Ian could see his vision going blurry. But just as everything was about to go dark, Ian's vision suddenly cleared. His body was reforming! After a moment, Ian was whole again. The sun had set. And Ian's club was still in flames. Ian ran over to Kate. "We have to do something!" 

"The only thing we can do is call the fire station! I can't freeze the flames; it won't help." Katie ran back to her car, noticing the broken windshield. "Damn," she said, as she grabbed her cell and called 911. 

Ian looked down. His shadow had returned, and was flickering in the light from the fire. Then Ian heard a groaning. He looked up and there was the shadow of the Magma demon. He was shifting and bubbling. Then he exploded, and was gone. "I guess since the shadow had no one to return to, it was destroyed." Ian looked back at his club. Fire was everywhere. The fire department wouldn't get here in time. It was over.... 

Katie sighed when she looked back at the club. It looked like hope was lost for it. She walked over next to Ian. "I'm sorry," was all she could think of saying. She put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly, knowing how hard he had worked on the club. 

"Yeah..... it's ok. I worked so hard to get this place up and running. But hey, if I did it once, I can do it again." Ian sighed and sat down on the pavement. "At least we are here to rebuild it. Instead of being erased from the face of the earth." 

Katie nodded. "Right." She sat down and watched the flames take over the club. 

The fire trucks arrived, but all they could do was put out the last bits of the fire. The club was gone. Ian stood up. "Let's go home..." Ian turned and started to walk towards Katie's car. 

Katie just nodded again and went over to the driver's side of the car. There was a tan cat by the tire. "Hey kitty..." She knelt down and carefully picked him up. "Ian!" she exclaimed as she stood up, showing him the cat. "Can we keep him?" she asked in her babyish voice, obviously trying to cheer him up. 

Ian looked at the cat. "..... It just better be house trained." He smiled slightly and got into the car, brushing glass off of the seat. 

Katie got into the car, grinning happily. She turned on the car and drove off towards home, leaving behind King's Corner in the last light of day.


	11. Rat Infestation

**A/N: Here's another one I don't much like. The whole depression thing seems so... fake, now that I read it. Oh well. Hope you like it.**

"Watch out!" Ian yelled to two repair men. They were standing under a section of the ceiling that was weak and about to collapse. Katie ran up behind Ian and threw up her hands just as the ceiling began to fall. The scene froze. "Oh that was close. Now we just have to finish this up....." Ian walked closer to the repair men, but not so much that people would notice. "Ok, unfreeze it." 

Katie did and Ian leaped forward and tackled the two men, knocking them all out of the way. A second later the debris crashed down to where the men had been standing. Ian got up and brushed himself off. 

"Thanks man," one repair guy said. "We would have been dead." 

Ian smiled. "No problem." He then turned and went back over to Kate. "Well who said repairing this place would be easy. We have to clean it all out first. And it so seems that things are not done falling apart." 

"The place was in a huge fire. What do you expect?" Katie shook her head. 

"Well I didn't expect the fire in the first place. But there was nothing that could be done." Ian sighed and sat down on a stool that he had brought in. "Repairing this place will take awhile though. I am going to go out of business if it takes too long. Guess I will have to schedule someone real good for the re-opening. But for now we will have to live on your salary. You might just have to pull some extra hours. And I'll find something to do to help out." 

"Ya better. Cause I've been working extra hours, and I'm tired!" 

Ian looked up at his sister. "What exactly do you do at that company anyway?" 

"I fix computers. Hence the title 'computer repairer'." Katie grabbed another stool and sat down, watching the repairmen without actually seeing them. 

"Wow. I didn't know you could do that. Maybe you can fix mine. It keeps freezing. You have the freezing power. Maybe you can coax it out of this.... mood." Ian gave her a wry smile. 

"You may have a virus," she said absentmindedly. Ian's smile instantly went to a frown. 

"Oh that would not be good. I think I have a virus protector though. Well I'll just have to check it later. But let's just leave this stuff to the repair crew. Not much we can do to help out." Ian got up and grabbed his coat, taking his keys out of his pocket. "Come on." Ian then turned and walked out the door and Katie followed. 

Yet out of the shadows came to small figures. Rats. But these were no ordinary rats. The two sniffed the air and then their eyes glowed red. Then they changed into their human form. The repair crew was busy and noticed nothing. One of the rat demons sniffed the air again. "Powerful witches are near. Our master would be very pleased if we destroyed them." Evil grins came to both the demon's faces. And then with blinding speed, the two tore out of there and off to find their prey. 

~*~*~

Katie walked into the manor and hung her coat on the peg by the door. Then she went into the kitchen and started bringing out pans and random ingredients. Something to keep her hands busy. Anything to keep her hands busy, really. She put water in the pot, set it on the burner, and added stuff into it. 

Ian walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "What are you doing?" he asked. 

"Nothing. Just... cooking." 

"That is not cooking. That is potion making. There is no demon out there to get us at the moment, that I know of. So why are you making a potion?" 

"Potion making?" Katie raised an eyebrow, though her back was turned to Ian. "Uh... I'm not." 

Ian tilted his head. "Do they use mandrake root in everyday cooking now?" Katie shrugged. 

"I'm not really making anything in particular." 

"Right. You do this a lot. Make a potion without knowing what your making. Now what happened last time you did that? Oh right. You switched our powers." Ian got up and went to stand next to Kate. 

"....Look, I know what I'm doing! I'm better at this than you, remember." 

"Yes..... you mostly are." Ian shook his head and left the room. Katie sighed. She walked over and sat at the counter, putting her head in her hands. 

"Where are you?" she mumbled softly to herself. 

"Right here." Ian came back in behind Kate. "I was just putting my coat away." 

Katie jerked up, looking at Ian. "...Right." She walked back to the stove and started putting the stuff away. 

"Well..... you made nothing. Such an improvement. Dirty dishes here we-" _BOOM! There was a huge explosion from the main hall. "What the hell was that?!" Ian and Katie ran out of the kitchen and to the main hall. The front door was there no more. It lay in pieces all over. _

"What happened?" Katie asked. There was a sudden blur and then a large man stood in front of Katie. He grabbed her by the shoulder and then threw her over and into the living room couch. 

"Katie!" Ian yelled. Then, just as quickly, another demon came up in front of Ian. Ian waved his hands to destroy the demon, but there was a blur and the demon was suddenly on the other side of the room, so instead Ian accidentally blew up a chair. "They're too fast!" Ian yelled, and then he was slammed back into the wall by another attack by the first demon. 

"That's why we freeze them!" Katie had thrown up her hands while saying this. The whole room had frozen, with the exception of Ian. "... Who are they?" Ian stood up and walked over to one of the frozen demons. 

"I have no clue. Only thing we know is that they are really really really really..... really fast." 

"Yes. I kinda noticed that. Can we vanquish them and get this over with?" 

"That is just what I was thinking." Ian raised his hands, but he stopped when he heard a squeaking sound behind him. Ian turned and looked down. There were three rats there on the floor, squeaking madly up at him. "What the heck?" Then the rats eyes glowed red and they transformed into tall demons. "Oh no!" Bam! 

One of the demons shot forward into Ian, knocking him back. "Set our brothers free, and we might spare you!" 

Ian looked up from the floor. "Your brothers?" He then looked over at the frozen demons. "I guess that means them." 

Katie raised an eyebrow. "Might? Sorry, but coming from a _demon, it doesn't mean a thing." She helped Ian up, while still keeping an eye on the... rat demons. _

"Then you will perish!" yelled the demon who attacked Ian. A glowing red sphere appeared in his hand. It grew larger and larger. Then the rat demon threw it at Ian and Katie. 

"Duck!" Ian screamed, and he then pulled Katie down to the ground. The sphere shot over them and slammed into a book case, vaporizing it. "Ok, that's it! You all leave now!" The other rat demons that Katie had frozen earlier were now next to the new arrivals. Ian threw up his hands and the one on the far left exploded, his scream of pain being cut off almost instantly. 

The others stared at where the rat demon had been a second ago. "We must report this to our master," one said. The rest nodded. And then they blasted out of the manor at blinding speed, but not before giving both Katie and Ian evil glares. 

"Well, I'm going up to my room. We can look in the book tomorrow." Katie walked up the stairs and into her room.

Ian watched Katie go. "What is up with her?" He then shook his head and looked at the destruction that had been caused. "She leaves me to clean this up. Great." Ian went upstairs and took the Book of Shadows off his dresser. He then went back downstairs and started to look for a spell to repair the things that had been destroyed.... mainly the door.   
  


~*~*~   
  


Katie woke up to find the cat sleeping behind her. She smiled crookedly; apparently Davey knew just when she needed comfort. This wasn't the first time she found him near when she was feeling down. After a quick change of clothes, and brushing her hair, she picked up Davey and walked down into the kitchen. Ian was in there, looking at the Book. It was open to a page with pictures of rats turning into demons. "Is that them?" she asked, sitting down at the table. 

Ian looked up. He had dark circles under his eyes, and a large cup of coffee sat next to him on the table. "Yeah. I spent the night looking them up and reading as much as I could about them. They can change shape from rat to human form, they have super speed, and can throw those red ball things called Acid Spheres. There are many of them, yet they are usually in small groups around the world. But recently they have been gathering to create a new faction under a new leader. This leader is a warlock named Maragoth. I found him in here too. He is planning to create an army with these rat demons, with him in the lead and then take over the underworld. But first he must rise in the ranks of evil And the best way to do that is to kill powerful witches and other good beings." Ian took a long gulp of his coffee and then rubbed his eyes. 

"And we're right on his list. Great. So, should we go af-" Katie got cut off by the cat. He was hissing. She put him down on the floor. "Uh... Ok... Anyway, should we go after them?" 

Ian shot a glance at Davey, the cat that they had found right after Ian's club burned down, and then shook his head. "No, we don't know where they are. Or how many of them there are. I think we should just be prepared, be on the look out, and go about our daily business." 

"Daily business. Right," she muttered. "Well, I gotta get ready for work." Katie walked back up the stairs. 

"I don't! Because I don't have a work! ....Just great." Ian sighed and then looked down at Davey. He was still hissing. "What are you hissing at?" Ian looked in the direction the Davey was pointed and saw a small brown figure go behind the kitchen counter. "I really hope that is not what I think it is." A rat demon rose up from behind the counter with an evil smile on his face. "Crap! It's what I thought it was." The demon grabbed a knife off of the counter and threw it at Ian. "Oh god!" Ian dived off his chair and too the floor. The knife was now stuck in the wall. Davey hissed and jumped up onto the counter and began to swipe his claws at the rat demon. "Davey, no!" The demon made a swipe at the cat, but Davey jumped away. Ian got to his feet and ran at the demon, levitating up and over the counter to kick the rat demon in the head, knocking him back. Ian fell to the floor and rolled, coming up into a fighting stance. 

The demon regained his footing and conjured an acid sphere. He threw it at Ian. Ian ducked quickly and the sphere flew over him and hit the wall, creating a smoking hole. "Katie! Get in here!" Ian stood straight again and then gestured sharply with his hands. The demon jumped out of the way and a cupboard exploded. Cans spilled out onto the counter and then to the floor. One can rolled to Ian's feet and stopped. He grabbed the can and threw it at the demon. It hit him in the head, stunning him for a second. It was long enough.**_Boom!Ian lowered his hands just as Kate came in. "What took you?!" _**

Katie raised an eyebrow at the mess and shrugged. "I was taking a shower." She looked at the clock. "God, I gotta go. You can take care of this right?" Without waiting for an answer, Katie walked quickly outside to her car. 

Ian slammed his hand down on the counter. "What the hell is wrong with her?!" He then sighed and looked around. "Again I am stuck cleaning up." There was a meow from down near Ian's leg. Ian looked at Davey. "Oh yes. I have you to help me." Ian reached down and scratched the cat behind the ear, who purred approvingly.   
  


~*~*~   
  


Katie was at a desk of one of her co-workers, fixing their computer. It had some sort of virus on it, and wouldn't load up. After about ten tries of making it load into Windows, she slammed her fist onto the desk. She was frustrated, lost, confused... And had no idea what to do, about everything. Hiding her face in her hands again, she whispered, very softly, "I need you..." 

Her cell phone rang a couple minutes later. Reaching down to pick it up out of her purse, she answered it. "Yeah?" 

"Katie? It's Ian. Yeah, I think you should plan on coming home soon. Two more rat demons have attacked since this morning and I am getting a little..... I dunno.... wiped out from all this fighting. They are so fast. Can you please get back he-" There was a crash from the other end and then the line went dead. 

Katie's emotions were only one now: worry for her brother. She grabbed her purse and ran out of the building to her car, and drove home.   
  


~*~*~   
  


Meanwhile in the manor, Ian was blasted back to the floor in the sun room from an attack of more rat demons. There were two this time and they were throwing acid spheres with blinding speed. Ian stumbled to his feet and then ducked as another attack flew at him. Ian threw up his hands and destroyed one of the demons. He then ran forward and kicked up high and hit the other in the chin, making him fall back. 

"Ok, now to find where you come from." Ian grabbed onto the rat demons arm and concentrated on getting a vision of the past to find out where the demon had come from. _FLASH!_ Ian felt a jolt go through his body as he got a vision. Images went through his mind and then it all ended. Ian opened his eyes. The rat demon growled and slammed Ian back onto the floor. He stood and conjured an acid sphere and raised his arm to throw it into Ian. 

Katie burst through the front door and flung her arm at the rat demon who held the acid sphere. He flew off the ground and smashed into a chair, crumpling it. Walking over to stand next to Ian, Katie raised her hand to freeze the demon. Yet he blasted out of the house at lighting speed. "You alright?" Katie asked, looking down at Ian on the floor. 

"Yeah. Just a little bruised. Thanks for coming." Ian stood up and brushed himself off. 

"I'm your sister, not to mention the fact that we work together." 

"Yes, but this is not a paying job. Sucks, that does." Ian pushed a hand through his hair and sighed. "Ok, I got a vision of where the demon came from. It's in a warehouse near the docks." 

"Warehouse. Abandoned. Yay." 

"Well it's not abandoned.... it's infested with rats.... and a warlock." 

"Ok... Let me rephrase. Abandoned except for supernatural beings. Yay." 

"There ya go. Now, they know that we are coming. They will be ready for us. So we can't just burst in there, waving our arms and yelling bloody murder. We have to be secret like." Ian walked into the kitchen with Kate right behind him. 

The two sat at the table and Ian pulled the book over. "Ok, the rat demons are destroyed easily enough with my power. But I am not sure about Maragoth." He flipped to a page that he had mark with a scrap of paper. "Here he is. Maragoth is a level 2 ranked warlock, but he has been rising through the ranks for many years. Known powers of his are: Pyrokinesis, blinking, and being able to conjure giant winds to throw off his oppressors. There is no known vanquish, but no one has really tried to destroy him, since most don't see this warlock as a threat." Ian looked up at Katie. "Doesn't sound too hard." 

"No known vanquish. Yay, again." Katie stood up. "So, I guess I'll make some potions. What kinds should I make?" 

"Well.... those rat demons are really fast. I suggest that you make one that can diminish that super speed power of theirs. That should be good. I think we can use our powers for the rest. But I will make a vanquishing spell for Maragoth." The two got to work and Ian had soon finished with a spell that would prolly do that trick of destroying the warlock. "How's it going with that potion, Kate?" 

"...Almost done." Katie threw in a ginger root and some lizard skin. There was a small pop and smoke came out of the pot. "Now I'm done." 

"For how many bottles have you made. I think we are gonna need like two each. Just incase we miss. 'Cause we have to hit the rat demons with the potions first to slow them down." 

"Don't worry. I got that part covered." Katie distributed the potion into four bottles and handed two to Ian. Ian took the bottles and went and grabbed his jacket, putting the two bottles in the inner pocket. He came back into the kitchen and saw Katie putting on her jacket as well. "Ok, first item on the list. Has Davey been fed? Because I didn't really have time to do that with all those attacks." 

"No.... I'll do it." Kate strode over to the cabinet, and took out a bag of cat food. She put some in the bowl, then put that on the floor. "There. Let's go." She walked out of the house to the car, and got into the passenger side. 

Ian followed her and got into the drivers side of his vehicle. He pulled out of the driveway and then started towards the docks on the other side of the city. "Now.... Kate. I have been noticing that you have been acting kinda weird today. Weirder than usual I mean." Ian smiled and glanced at Katie. 

"I'm fine. Forget it." Katie looked out the window. How she hated these car talks, with no where to go when she didn't want to talk about it. 

Ian sighed. "Are you sure? Because you just seem.... distant today. And last night too. You just went to bed. Most of the time when a demon attacks late at night you immediately want to deal with him." 

"Look. I don't want to talk about it." Katie reached over to turn on the radio. To her luck, if that's what you want to call it, "Everywhere" by Michelle Branch was on. She groaned and leaned back in the seat. Ian sighed again and concentrated on the road.   
  


~*~*~   
  


Twenty minutes later they arrived at the docks. Ian pulled over and got out of the car. Katie followed suite. "Well there is the warehouse I saw in my vision. The main entrance is through those two big doors there. But.... we should try a different way. Come on." Ian started forward and walked down a small side road next to the large building. There were moldy crates everywhere, and the air was filled with the scent of mildew. They were about to turn the corner to get to the back of the warehouse when Ian stopped. "Do you hear that? It sounds like squeaking..." The two looked around. Rats were everywhere. On the crates, scurrying on the ground...everywhere. Then a voice spoke from behind Kate and Ian. 

"Nice of you to come. I welcome you." Ian and Katie spun around to see a tall man standing there. He had black hair that hung roughly around his face. He also wore a large brown trench coat. 

_This isn't good, Katie thought. "Who are you?" she asked the guy in the trench coat. _

Ian lightly elbowed Katie. "Who do you think it is?" he hissed. The tall man smiled. 

"Why I am Maragoth. The last warlock you will ever face." 

Ian snorted. "Yeah right. The Book said you weren't that powerful." 

Maragoth stared. "Well it hasn't been updated then. You see..... I have grown much stronger in a short amount of time. I have gathered this army under me and soon, I will control the underworld." Then, without any warning, fire shot from Maragoth's hand. It hit the ground in front of Katie and Ian, creating a wall to block off their escape. There was then a large amount of squeaking. Ian and Kate turned back to the rats. They were all transforming into their human shapes. They closed in on the siblings, laughing evilly. 

Ian glanced at his sister. "Ok.... it wasn't supposed to go like this." 

"Haven't you learned that things don't go as planned?" Katie asked bitterly. "And with no one t-" She stopped mid sentence, realizing what she was going to say. 

"What?" Ian asked. But there was no time to explain. The rat demons attacked and Katie and Ian were separated. Ian ducked from a swing and then slammed his fist into the demons jaw. The enemy stumbled back and Ian destroyed him. He then took out one of the potion bottles and threw it at the nearest rat demon. It hit him and there was a small flash of light. "Hope that worked." Ian then ran forward and dove back into battle. 

Katie unknowingly threw the potion at the same time as Ian. Only she threw it in the midst of the demons, causing more than one to not be able to use their super fast power. She flung her arm at one demon and he flew back into another. Both went down to the floor. Just as she was about to use her telekinesis again, one rat demon, who apparently didn't get hit, used his power and knocked Katie to the ground. 

Ian turned to see his sister fall. "Kate! You alright?!" 

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine," Katie muttered sarcastically. "Fine!" she said to Ian, and bounced back up. She went back to fighting, trading punches and kicks, with a mix of power usage. 

Ian took out a few more demons and then turned to the flames. "That's it. I'm gettin out of this." He ran forward and then levitated up into the air. With his momentum, Ian semi flew over the fire blockade and to the other side. He then fell to the ground with a thud. After a moment to recuperate, Ian looked up. There was Maragoth, staring down at him. 

"So.... you have come to stop me," Maragoth said, with menace in his voice. Ian stood up. 

"Yes, I have. But I want to have a little fun first." The two circled each other.... then Maragoth attacked, throwing a quick punch. Ian dived to the ground, rolled, and then came back up. Spinning around, Ian threw up his leg. It hit Maragoth in the chin and he fell back onto the ground. Ian smiled. "Had enough?" 

"Never!" Maragoth threw fire from his hand, straight at Ian. But Ian jumped aside.

He then took out the vanquishing spell and began to read. "Warlock die now in despair, this spell shall make you vanish into thin air!" Maragoth didn't even scream. He just was.... gone. "Well that was a dull vanquish." 

Once the Warlock was vanquished, the wall of flame went out. Kate ran over to stand next to Ian. "Nice vanquish. Got any for them?" she asked, nodding toward the rat demons. 

"We'll just.... talk to them," Ian whispered. Then to the demons he said, "Your leader is gone. No one to guide you now. I suggest you leave." The rat demons just chuckled evilly and then started to walk towards Ian and Kate. "Fine then. Just remember, you made this choice." Ian blasted two demons out of existence. The others stopped. "Now..... change your mind? Or do you want me to keep blowing you guys up?" The rat demons looked at each other. Then they all transformed back to rats and scurried away. "Well all's well that ends well. Whatever the hell that means." Ian smiled at Kate. 

Katie shrugged. "I guess." She walked to the car and got in. 

Ian frowned and then followed. Ian shut the door after he got in and turned to look at Katie. "Alright. We don't have demons or warlocks to destroy right now, so now tell me what is wrong. I always know when something's wrong. And something's wrong. So what's wrong?" 

Katie blinked. "You know you said 'wrong' like, five times?" 

"Yep. I do. So what's wrong?" Ian smiled slightly. 

She sighed and leaned back. "... It's about Mom and Dad," she said quietly. 

"Mom and Dad? What about them?" 

"Well, kind of. I just wish that they were here. You know, to help us." 

Ian thought for a moment. "Well they kinda are. In spirit. They inspire us to do good."   
"Yeah, but it's not the same." 

"No...... but I think it's enough. And we have been doing pretty well at this witch stuff. Haven't gotten ourselves killed yet." Ian grinned. 

Katie shrugged again. "Do I have to orb home, or are you gonna drive?" she asked in mock anger. 

"Ok.... I'm drivin, I'm drivin." Ian started the car and put on his seat belt. Katie put on hers and then Ian turned around and drove back towards home. 

~*~*~

In the dark lairs of the underworld an evil eye opened. Maragoth's eye.... he lived. The spell had not vanquished him. The first part had damaged Maragoth, but the second part just sent him away. So the spell had only half worked. "Those damn witches..... I will regain my strength. And when I do..... they will pray that they had never been born. MUAHAHAHA!!"


	12. Touch of Evil

"You will be working at the register and help out with the cooking. Think ya can handle frying up a burger?" Ian put on a fake smile at the question asked. 

"Of course," he said. Since the club had burned down money had been kinda scarce. Katie had been working overtime and the two had been working to not spend so much. But it wasn't enough. So Ian had decided that he needed a temporary job to pull in some cash until the club was rebuilt. And the only job that was available right away was this one; Burger King. 

Ian glanced around at the other workers. Most were pimply teenagers looking bored out of their minds. It seemed like a slow day. "So.... when do you want me to start?" Ian asked the manager who was telling Ian what he would be doing. 

"Would you be able to start later today?" 

"Sure! I was hoping I could because I really need the money," Ian said quickly. The manager nodded. 

"Good," he said. "Come back in a couple of hours and we will have your uniform for you. Then you can begin."

"Thanks. I will see you later then." Ian turned and left the small fast food restaurant and got into his car. It was a nice day out and the sun was shining warmly over the outskirts of New York City. Ian rolled down his window and let the nice cool breeze blow against his face. He then started up the car and began to drive home. 

~*~*~

"How's it going little lady?" Katie looked up to see the jerk of the office, Craig, standing there. "I said, 'How's it going?'" Katie rolled her eyes. Craig was always picking on the younger males of the office and trying to get some "lovin" with the women. 

"I was doing just fine until you came over. And if you would leave it would be the best day of my life." Katie gave Craig a fierce stare as she said this. 

"Oh.... you are a fiesty one. That's the way I like 'em. It gets kinda boring when the women are too easy." Katie let out a sigh of annoyance and then turned back to her computer. 

She was making a list of the things she would need for her next project. A large data transferring computer was being brought in next week and Katie needed to prepare. The thing kept losing files it was sending and the owners had brought it here. Then Kate's boss had come to her personally and asked her to do the assignment. Katie had taken the job full heartedly. 

Katie quickly finished up, saved the list and then got up. "I have to go. So sorry." She then walked away quickly without another word. 

~*~*~

Ian was at home, getting ready to go back to the Burger King and get started, when he heard the front door slam. A couple seconds later Katie stormed into the kitchen. "That slimy rat!" she yelled, slamming her purse down on the table. 

"Is this a real rat, or a metaphorically speaking rat?" Katie glared at Ian. "I am guessing the second one then." 

"Very good Ian, you have won a trip to Miami." Katie then sat down at the table and laid her head in her arms. Ian sat down across from her. 

"I have always wanted to go to Miami, and a vacation would be nice. But on a serious note..... what happened?" 

"Craig the pervert at my office.... came on to me today," Katie said, her voice somewhat muffled since her face was covered. "He had always left me alone before. But ever since Fran, the main one he had been bothering, got a promotion..... Craig has moved onto others. And I guess I have been picked as girl of the week." 

Ian frowned. "It sounds like he is harassing people. He could get in serious trouble for that. Maybe you should report him." 

Katie lifted her head up. "And be a tattle tale? I don't think so." 

"What, are you in first grade now? Come on Katie, take care of this before it gets worse." Katie sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. 

"I'll just ignore him. Maybe then he will leave me alone." She then got up and went over to the cupboard. She opened it and pushed aside some boxes and cans. "Where is the coffee? I can't deal with insane coworkers without my coffee." 

"We are out of coffee," Ian said. "Out of a lot of things. Not much money flowing in these days. Oh that reminds me, I got that job." Katie came back over and sat down. 

"The one at BK?" 

"Yeah..... it is just to pull in some extra cash so we can buy things like coffee. In the meantime I will be looking for a better job. I'll need a better one if I expect to pay the construction company to keep fixing the club." Ian looked at his watch. "I got to go. I start working in thirty minutes." 

"Well I just came home for some lunch. But from my little tour of the cupboards there is nothing to eat. I'll just grab something on my way back to work."   
Ian stood up from the table and grabbed his coat off one of the chairs. "Ok, then I will see you later tonight. Don't know when I'll be back though." Katie made a small wave and then Ian left. 

~*~*~

"I would like two cheese burgers, three small fries, and two large sodas." The customer watched Ian looking a little clueless at the register. _Why do they have to put so many buttons on this thing? Ian thought to himself. Yet he figured it out and pushed all the right buttons. _

"Your total is $10.99," Ian said. The customer paid and then stepped aside to wait for their order to be ready. "Hi, may I help you?" Ian said to a woman who had just stepped up to the register. 

"I would like... the double bacon cheese burger. But with no cheese and no bacon." Ian gave her a strange look. 

"Uh..... but then wouldn't you just-" The woman cut Ian off with a stern look. 

"A double bacon cheese burger. No cheese. No bacon," she said firmly. 

"Alright...." Ian put in the order. "$5.85 is your total." The woman took the money out of her purse and paid. 

"Thank you," she said, suddenly very nice and cheerful. A moment later the manager came up and tapped Ian on the shoulder. Ian turned and smiled. 

"Hey boss. How do you think I'm doing?" Ian's boss gave him an annoyed look. 

"I was just back there watching the screens and I saw your last order come up. A double bacon cheese burger with no bacon and no cheese would just be a regular double meat patty burger at $3.57." 

"And I tried to tell her that," Ian protested. "But she cut me off and said that that was what she wanted. And isn't the customer always right? Also.... this way we are making more money without making anyone mad or feel.... robbed." The manager stared at Ian for a moment longer and then started laughing. 

"I knew I liked you when I first saw ya! Keep up the good work." The manager then turned and walked to his office, still chuckling. 

Ian turned back to his register as a new customer came up. "May I take your order?" Ian smiled to himself. _I'm gettin good. _

****

~*~*~

****

Katie was walking through the office to her desk, when Craig ran up next to her. "I didn't like how you ran away from me earlier," he said roughly. Katie spoke not a word and kept on walking. "Come on..... talk to me. You know ya want to. We could have a lot of fun, you and me." Katie still said nothing. Craig glared and then grabbed Kate's behind. She screamed and spun around. 

"You bastard!" she yelled. Katie slapped Craig across the face and then ran into the women's bathroom where Craig could not follow. 

Craig rubbed his face where he had been slapped and then smiled at the people staring at him. "She wants me." 

In the bathroom Katie was pacing and muttering to herself. One of her friends walked in and stood by the sink. "What happened?" she asked. Katie stopped pacing. 

"That pervert.... he grabbed me! Asshole," Katie growled and started to pace again. 

"It is just his way..... if you fight then he will just get worse. You have to keep ignoring him. He'll get bored after a little while and then leave you alone. All men are like that." Katie's friend walked over to her and took her arm. "Come on," she said. "We have to get back to work. Just take my advice and ignore Craig." Katie nodded slowly and the two went back out to the office. 

~*~*~

Back at the manor, a warlock named Rex blinked into Ian's room. He looked around and spotted The Book Of Shadows on the dresser. The warlock walked up to the dresser and picked up the Book. "I can feel its power. There is so much of it. Good magic though..... but not for long. In my hands this book will turn evil. And since its magic is linked with its owners.... they too will turn evil." He let out a maniacal laugh, but stopped when he heard a hissing. 

The warlock turned to see Davey the cat in the doorway. "Hey kitty kitty....." Davey hissed again and then leaped onto the warlock. "AH! Get off me!" Davey latched himself onto Rex's jacket with his teeth. But after a moment the cat was thrown off. A piece of Rex's jacket was still in Davey's mouth. Before anything else could happen Rex blinked out with the Book. Davey growled and then dropped the garment and went under the bed where he felt it safe.   
  


~*~*~

Later that night Ian came home to find Katie in her room, typing furiously on her laptop. "Uh.... hi. Something wrong?" Ian sat down on the bed and watched Katie at her desk. 

"I'm fine," she said with low tone. 

"You don't sound fine. Come on Katie, tell me." Katie turned around in her chair and gave Ian a sad look. 

"Craig bothered me all day. I tried to ignore him, but he just keeps at it. And also.... when I first got back to work after lunch he.... he grabbed me." 

Ian jumped up from the bed, his face contorted with rage. "He what?! I'll kill him! What did he think he was doing? Man he is just going to be a pile of little pervert pieces when I am through with him." 

"Ian, don't. Just don't do anything. I can take care of this myself. Don't worry about me. I am a big girl." She smiled slightly up at Ian. 

"But-," Ian began. 

"No. DON'T DO ANYTHING." Ian sighed and then sat back down on the bed. 

"Fine. But if he does anything like that again I can't make any promises." Katie laughed and nodded. Ian glanced at the clock on the stand next to Kate's bed. It was getting late. "Well I have to get up early tomorrow. I am pretty much working all day to get as much money as I can." 

"Good night," Katie said as she turned back to her laptop. 

"Night." Ian left the room and then started to get ready for bed. When he was finished he put on his pajamas and went to sleep. He had not even noticed that The Book Of Shadows was missing. 

~*~*~

The next morning Katie got up and dressed in all black. Black tank top, long black skirt, black socks, and high black boots. She put on some dark eye shadow and flaming red lipstick. Kate smiled at herself in the mirror and then went down stairs for breakfast.   
When Ian saw Katie come in he almost spit out the orange juice he was drinking. "What are you wearing?!" he asked when he finally managed to gulp down the juice. Katie looked down at herself. 

"What do you mean?" she asked. 

Ian rolled his eyes. "What do you think? You are dressed all in black. You never do that." 

"I just decided to look a little.... evil, today." She frowned once she had said that. Then Kate shook her head and grabbed a muffin from a wicker basket that sat on the center island. 

Ian sighed and then said, "Well I better get in my car and-" Before Ian could finish his sentence he was suddenly sitting in his black Honda. "Oh.... what just happened?" He got out of the car and ran back into the house. Katie came into the foyer just as Ian opened the door. 

"What did you just do?" she asked. Ian shrugged. 

"I have no idea..... but it was kinda fun." He smiled. 

"Well tell me what happened." 

"Hmm..... well I said that I should get in the car and then I blinked and suddenly was there." 

Katie frowned. "You blinked...... that is a warlock power. How did you get a warlock power?!" 

"I don't know! But it would be much faster getting around. Hey... you try it. Just think..... then blink." Katie stood there for a moment and then blinked out. "Where did ya go?!" Ian called. 

"In here!" Katie called back. Ian walked into the parlor to see Katie there. "You were right," she said. "It is fun. And it is much faster then orbbing." Ian nodded. 

"Yeah and it doesn't make you sick to your stomach. This is cool...... hey! I just had an idea." 

"What?" Katie asked. 

"Well we have kinda been strapped for cash.... but I know a great way to get some easy money, and fast." He then grabbed Katie's arm and they blinked out.   
  


~*~*~

A split second later the two reappeared in a large Casino in NYC. No one noticed them because they were all too busy gambling. Katie looked around and said, "What are we doing here? Ian we can't risk losing our money on gambling." 

Ian smiled. "Oh but we are not going to gamble. We are going to win. With a little trick I call premonition." 

"But that is personal gain. We can't..... what am I saying?! Let's do it!" They both laughed and headed over to the roulette stand. 

Ian pushed through the small crowd around the stand and stopped at the front. He placed a bet of $100 dollars on red fourteen, just making sure it would work. Then he would move on to higher winnings. The croupier spun the wheel and dropped the ball in. Ian then waved his hand to manipulate the wheel. When it stopped the ball was exactly where Ian had wanted it to be. "Red fourteen," said the croupier. "We have a winner." Ian smiled at Katie and took his pile of chips. 

This went on for awhile with Ian winning every time. Cheers went up from the large amount of people that had gathered around to watch. After Ian had won over five thousand dollars in chips the croupier waved them all away. "Sorry, but I can't take anymore bets. You have maxed out this stand." Ian frowned, but then had another idea. 

"Whatever." He smiled and took Katie by the arm and led her away. 

"What now?" Katie asked. 

"We win some more money," Ian said with a laugh. They cashed what money they had won and stuffed it into Katie's purse. Then the two went over to the slot machines and sat down. "Here goes." Ian pulled the lever of the slot machine and then waved his hand over it, concentrating. The room seemed to go into slow motion for a second while the slots were spinning. Then everything resumed normal speed and the slots whirled. Then they started to come to a stop. "Cherry...... cherry..... cherry!" Ian yelled with glee. The machine went insane and beeped and jingled. Then coins began to spill out. Ian grabbed some paper cups and started filling them with coins. 

"Ian.... that is a thousand quarters! How much money is that?" 

Ian quickly did the math in his head. "Two hundred fifty dollars! Why didn't we ever think of doing this before?" 

"I don't know. Let's keep going." The two kept up manipulating the machines to get it to give them the jackpot every time. They emptied their two machines and then moved onto more. When they got tired and went home Katie and Ian had won $6,487. 

"Wow!" Katie said. "Ian we won so much money! I am loving this. What should we buy? And what else can we do with these powers?" Her face then lit up. "I have just had an idea of my own....." She smiled, emptied the money out of her purse and onto the living room table. "Off to work!" 

Ian was sitting on the couch, lounging. "Work... oh right. I forgot about that. But with this money I wont need that job. Yet... I wanna have some more fun." Ian got up and started up the stairs. 

"Where are you going?" Katie asked. Ian stopped and turned to look down at his sister. 

"Well I can't have much fun in what I am wearing. Gonna do a quick change." 

"Right. Well see ya later! Have fun!" Katie then blinked out. 

~*~*~

Ian walked into BK wearing all black like Katie. His hair was slicked back, he wore dark sunglasses, a long black leather trench coat, and black combat boots. People stared at him as Ian made his way to the back office. 

The manager looked up at Ian as he came in. "You are late! And what the hell are you wearing? Get into your uniform, you look like a freak." 

Ian smirked. "You are making fun of the way I look, pudgy? Just remember.... you are what you eat. And you are a cow." Ian waved his hand and his boss transformed into a large cow. "Now you would make a nice burger. I say we fry you up. Rare, medium, or well done?" Ian threw back his head and laughed. 

Ian heard something behind him. He turned as the door opened. It was one of the pimply teenagers. This one's name was Andrew. "What the hell?!" Andrew yelled as he saw the cow standing in the middle of the office. 

"Doesn't the boss look much better that way?" Ian asked the kid. "See how his coat of fur gleams?" Andrew started to stutter and backed up into the wall. "Oh Andrew, don't be such a chicken." Ian waved his hand again and Andrew became a chicken. Ian smiled. "I am evil and I'm loving it!" 

~*~*~

Katie looked around the office and saw Craig. She smiled evilly and walked up to him. "Craig," Katie said when she reached him. Craig looked up. 

"Katie? Man... you look-" 

"Wonderful, spectacular, amazing. Yeah, I know." Katie then grabbed him by his tie and pulled Craig into the break room and closed the door and locked it. No one else was in there. 

Katie pulled Craig close, so that their noses almost touched. "Katie.... what are you doing?" Craig said in confusion. 

"Just having a little fun....." Katie leaned in like she was going to kiss Craig but then kneed him in the crotch. Craig grunted in pain and gasped, breathing in sharply. katie then pushed him away and flicked her wrist, sending Craig across the room and into the wall. He slid to the floor and looked up at Katie in horror. 

"What... what are you?" Katie walked forward and stopped in front of her coworker. 

"I'm a witch," she said, pulling Craig to his feet. "And play time.... is over." Kate threw open her hands and Craig was frozen in ice. "Oooooooo..... me like." Katie then took a pan off the counter and slammed it on the frozen Craig's head. He fell to pieces on the floor. She smiled and scooped up the tiny ice pieces of Craig and threw them in the trash bin.

~*~*~

Rex stood in a small cavern at a rock table. The Book Of Shadows sat open. But Rex was watching a portal that showed all of what Katie and Ian were doing. "It's working," he said. "They are becoming evil. And this is all because of me. These two powerful witches have gone evil, and I have their Book Of Shadows. The demon leaders will greatly reward me." Rex watched Katie throwing the remains of Craig into a trash bin and laughed. "Oh this is wonderful!" The scene then changed..... back to Ian. 

~*~*~

Ian stood in the middle of BK with animals surrounding him. He had made the place a zoo. From pigeons to lions. "Oh this has been great fun, you guys. But I have seen what I can do with just myself, and I am wondering what I can do with The Book Of Shadows. So..... toodles!" Ian blinked back home. 

He appeared in his room and turned to where the Book usually stays; his dresser. But the Book was missing! "What?! Where is it?" Ian searched around but to no avail. 

Katie!" Ian called out. A second later Katie blinked in. 

"What? What is it? I was busy having fun dealing with my Craig problems." 

"Well we have even bigger problems now. The BOS is missing." 

"What?!" Katie's reaction had been the same as Ian's. 

"The BOS is missing," Ian repeated. "I searched around and couldn't find it." Katie pushed a strand of hair out of her face and sat down on Ian's bed. 

"Do you think someone could have taken it?" she asked. 

"I don't-" Ian stopped. He saw something lying on the floor. It was a ripped off piece of a jacket. "Where did this come from?" Ian bent down and picked it up. He immediately was hit with a vision of Rex stealing the Book. When it ended Ian opened his eyes and looked up at his sister. "Someone did steal the Book. It was a warlock." 

"Well then let's go get him. Do you know what we could do with the power of that book? We would be unstoppable." 

Ian stood up and nodded. "I was thinking the same thing." He turned and walked out of the room and down the stairs. Katie followed. "Now, I know what this warlock looks like, so I will just concentrate on him and blink us there." 

Katie nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me. Oh and when we get there..... no questions. We just kill him quick. Bastard should have thought first before taking our Book Of Shadows." Ian smiled at his sister. He then took her hand and blinked them to the cavern where Rex was. 

~*~*~

Rex was examining the BOS and didn't notice Ian and Katie blink in behind him. "Hey!" Ian yelled. Rex spun around at the sound of his voice. "I believe that is our book. We want it back." 

"But..... I gave you more power than you could ever have had by stealing this. You should be thanking me." Rex trembled slightly as he said this. 

Katie glanced at Ian and then walked forward. She stopped right in front of Rex. "Yeah.... Thanks. Now bye bye!" She froze just Rex's head and then slammed her fist through it. Pieces shattered and rained to the rough ground. The body then fell back and sprawled. A moment later it disappeared in a puff of smoke. Katie smiled and blew some frost off her hand. 

Ian walked over to The Book Of Shadows and picked it up. The Book glowed brightly and lit up the room. It died down a few seconds later. Ian shook his head. "What happened? ....Why were we so evil?" 

Katie seemed to be in the same state herself. She looked confused. "I..... I don't know. Oh god! Ian what have we done?! I turned Craig into tiny popsicles!" 

"And I turned my boss and everyone at BK into animals," Ian said. 

"You did? Oh that is way worse than mine." She smiled slightly and then got serious again. "Let's look in the Book. Maybe there is something there." Ian set the Book down and it suddenly opened and the pages began to flip on their own. It stopped on a page with a picture of Rex on it. 

Katie came up next to Ian and read the description out loud. "Lower level warlock who makes his living by trying to steal a witch family's Book Of Shadows. In the hands of this warlock the magical book will turn evil. Since the owners of the book are linked with it, they will also turn evil. Anything they do while 'under this spell' is entirely not their fault." Katie looked at Ian. "That might not be totally true..." 

Ian grinned and then read the rest. "To return to good the witches must search Rex out and vanquish him. Only then will the Book, and themselves, turn back to the side of light. Any evils that were caused by them will be undone. And if there were any mortal witnesses their memory of the of the events would be erased." Ian finished and then shut the Book. "That is a very good thing, or else we would be in big trouble. Come on." Ian picked up the Book and took Katie's hand. "Let's go home." Katie nodded and smiled as she got them home her own way. By orbbing. 

When they got home Katie noticed that all the money that they had won was gone from the table. "Hey! Where did it all go?" 

"I guess since we got that money by being evil, it was undone and the money went back," Ian said. He was kinda sad. They really could have used the money. "....Well. First thing tomorrow I am gonna go into BK and tell them I am quitting. I just don't think I could work around them, knowing what I had done. I will never look at a burger the same way." Katie smiled. 

"That's what we should do for dinner. Barbecue!" Ian gave her a look. "Just kidding...."   
  


~*~*~

The next day Katie sat at her desk working on the supply list from before. Craig walked by without looking at Katie. "Hi Craig," Katie said. Craig glanced at Kate and a look of fear spread over his face. He then quickly walked away. "Weird..... I guess he doesn't remember, but there is still the feeling of being smashed into a million pieces."   
Katie's friend walked over to her desk. "So, Craig bothering you again today?" Katie smiled to herself. 

"You know.... I don't think he will be bothering me ever again."

**IMPORTANT: Okay, please listen up. To the further delight for you, the readers, me and Ian were thinking of drawing pictures of our characters for you. HOWEVER... we both suck at drawing. So, we were wondering if any of you are good drawers or know any good drawers who are willing to draw four-five pictures for us. If you want to, contact me at furballkat@msn.com on MSN messenger or MIOrlers2 on AIM.******


	13. Mr Mom

**A/N: Well... I'm updating tonight. I'm extremely bored, having no school, so... yeah. Enjoy, I guess. This is a pretty good one. **

Ian walked into the dining room with the phone and looked out the window at the nice sunny day. "Hey Antonio. How is the construction going with the club?" 

"We have had some delays. A few of our men called in sick and we got a wrong order of wood, meaning we are going to have to send it back and get a new order. And that will take time." 

"Oh man..... the cupboards here are almost bare. My sister Katie is working hard, but it's not enough to keep this place going." Ian turned away from the window. He didn't see the bushes rustling or the creature that was hiding in them. 

"I know how it is. When I got injured before and couldn't work my wife had quite a time keeping our house up and running." 

Ian nodded. "Yeah... well let's hope things start going better. I'll talk to you later. Bye." Ian hung up the phone just as Katie came in. "Hi."

"Hey. Who was on the phone?" Katie asked as she sat down at the table.

"It was Antonio. He is managing the construction of the club." Ian set down the phone on the table. "I-" _Crash!_ Ian was cut off as a large creature slammed through the window and knocked Ian down. Ian rolled onto his back and looked up at his attacker. "Oh my god...." The creature let out a roar and slashed Ian across the arm, leaving a deep cut. "AHHHH!"

Katie jumped up from the table, knocking the chair to the floor. Using her telekinesis, she flung the... thing off Ian, then froze it quickly. Though, unfortunately, the creature had some sort of immunity against her power. It slowed down, then returned to normal speed. Obviously enraged, it flew toward Katie, knocking her onto the table, landing on top of her. Just before it had a chance to cut her like it had Ian, her hand found a sharp knife. She burrowed it into the creature, which blew up in flames, with its guts all over her and the table. 

"Ew... Demon guts," Katie muttered, standing up. "Ian, are you alright??" She reached down and helped Ian to his feet. "Maybe we should go to the hospital."

"No," Ian said while shaking his head. "It's not bad. I'll be fine. Just need some bandages." The two went into the kitchen and Ian began to patch up his arm. He glanced up at Katie who was watching him. There was an odd glint in her eye. "You want to ask me something, don't you?"

"Well... not ASK, exactly... more like tell you." Katie jumped up and sat on the counter. "We're having a party tomorrow night. With friends."

"A party? Here? Are you insane?!"

"Yes, I am. You should know that by now. And yes, the party is here."

Ian finished with his arm and glared at his sister. "Katie you know we can't have a party here. Remember that one little problem we have? Oh what was it... Oh right! Demons crashing in here at all times of the day! What were you thinking making plans for a party without talking to me first?!"

"Oh, I dunno! I wanted to have some fun, rather than loose all my friends, having to push them out the door after five minutes!" Katie glared right back at Ian.

Ian sighed and sat down on a stool. "Look, Kate. I understand that you want to have some fun. And you can. But not here. What would we do if a demon attacked while we were having party?"

"Um... Use memory dust?"

Ian stared at his sister. "Memory dust? What gave you the idea tha- Oh! Ow!" Ian bent over and clutched his stomach.

"Ian? Ian, what's wrong?" Katie hopped off of the counter and quickly went to stand in front of Ian. "Come on, to the hospital for you, mister." She started to help him off of the stool. "Something isn't right about that bite."

Ian shook his head again. "No, I'm fine. Just a small stomach pain, that's all..... There, it's gone. Now.... about this party.... No no no no no. And did I mention no?"

"Yes yes yes yes yes...yes. I want fun, and there haven't been many demons lately, have there?"

"Oh let's see... there was one just a few minutes ago!"

"Yeah, ONE! Not five or ten!"

Ian rubbed his face and sighed. "God.... okay. Fine, we will have a party. But if any demons attack you must freeze right away and I will blow them up. What kinda party is this anyway?"

"Costume party! Then any demons that come in can be passed as costumes. Great idea, no?"

"Oh... great. Well that works then. Okay, let's go prepare for this party."

~*~*~

 Ian and Katie walked through the mall towards the Party Store. There were kids running around, mothers running after them. The smell of greasy food was in the air. "Ah the mall," Katie said. "What a wonderful place." 

Ian didn't seem to agree. "Ugh, all these smells are making me nauseous." He rubbed his stomach and then glanced over at a little kid, who looked to be about three years old who was bouncing a rubber ball. The ball got away from him and he ran after it. His mom did not seem to notice; she was talking on a cell phone. The ball was heading for the stairs, and the kid was running after it. Ian looked around. No one seemed to notice the kid. "Katie," Ian whispered. "Quick, get that kid his ball back before he hurts himself. No one is watching so you can use your powers."

Katie flicked her hand slightly, causing the ball to go back to the kid. "Ah, magical powers. What a wonderful thing."

The kid smiled happily, not seeming to care that something magical had just happened. He went back to his mother who took his hand and walked off with him. She seemed to have not noticed anything that had just happened. "Wish she knew how close she came to having a missing child in a big mall," Ian said quietly.

"So do I, but the only thing you can do would be to go over there and tell her." Katie sighed. "Let's go get some party stuff, eh? ...Oh god, I sound Canadian."

"You do. You really do." They went into the store and began to look around. "Party hats..... balloons... streamers. What do you want to get for this party?"

"Not party hats... Maybe some balloons, and a few streamers." Katie began to look through the different balloon packages. "Anniversary, birthday... Happy pie day? Where are we, in New Brunswick?" She shook her head. "Here we go. Party package."

"And we are going to need food," Ian said. At the mention of food he gripped his stomach. "Man... my nose is just picking up the smells from the food court so easily. Are they having some big cook day or something?"

Katie stared at Ian oddly. "I don't smell anything. Are you alright?"

"I must be catching a cold or something. Stomach flu." They continued to look and fifteen minutes later they walked out with two bags each. 

"Let's go get something to eat," Katie said. Ian nodded and they walked over to the nearby food court. 

"Okay," Ian said, "we have got.... Burger King, Taco Bell, McDonalds, Subway, or Arbys. Take your pick."

"Hmm... How about McDonalds?" Katie said, already walking toward the small booth. There was a small line. "What do you want?" she asked Ian.

"Uh..." Ian wiped his face. He was perspiring a little. "I'll have a Big Mac, no tomatoes."

"Hello, may I take your order?" said a employee who worked there. Once Katie put in their orders, and the found a table after receiving their food, Katie asked, "Are you alright Ian? You seriously look awful."

"I'm fine," Ian said. He picked up his burger and began to eat. "So who is coming to this party?"

"Amy, Sarah, Joe, Lancer, other random friends," Katie replied, also taking a bite of her burger.

"Oh, Amy?" Ian smiled slightly. "Do you have a costume picked out?"

"Uh... No? I'm gonna go to the costume store after we're done eating."

Ten minutes later they were browsing through the costume store, looking for something that would be great for the party. "Here's one for you," Ian said, holding up a clown costume.

Katie stared at Ian. "I hate clowns."

"You hate everything," Ian retorted, putting back the costume. He started walking down the aisle when his head just suddenly felt like it was on fire. He groaned and bent down a second. The pain subsided and Ian drew in some breaths. 

"Ian? You okay?" 

Ian nodded. "I think there was something in that burger that didn't agree with me."

"...Okay... How about this?" Katie pulled out a costume of a witch. "Hey, fits the theme of our lives."

"That's true. I think you should go with it." Ian grabbed a costume of Dracula. "What ya think?"

"Yeah.. That looks like you so much, you don't even need a costume."

"Oh be quiet." They brought the costumes up to the front and Ian paid for them. 

~*~*~

"Okay," Ian said, walking through the front door of the manor. "We have balloons, streamers, costumes. This should be good." Ian then clutched his stomach. "Oh..... I... I gotta go." He then ran up the stairs to the bathroom.

Katie shook her head and took out the streamers. Using her telekinesis, she hung them on the ceiling. When Ian came back down, she asked, "Feeling better?"

"Ugh..... yeah. I think I saw my whole meal right before my eyes in rewind." Ian made his way into the living room and sat down on the couch. "I think I am coming down with something."

"I said we should go to the hospital. Did you listen? No..." Katie turned and looked at him. "Do you want to go to the hospital, or do you want me to make an appointment with our regular doctor?"

"I'll make a call to our doctor and you can keep setting things up," Ian got up and went into the kitchen. He picked up the phone and dialed the number of their family doctor. "Hi, Dr. Robinson? This is Ian King. Yeah, I would like to make an appointment for you... hopefully soon.... Later today? Five? Okay, I'll see you then." Ian hung up the phone and held his stomach. Behind him a demon shimmered in, knocking over a glass on the counter. Ian spun around. 

"Prepare to die, witch!" The demon conjured an energy ball. 

"Oh, I think not." Ian brought up his hand, and a fireball shot from it and hit the demon, vaporizing him. "OH! OH! Oh, new power! Katie!"

"New power? Well that's SO not fair," Katie said, coming into the kitchen. "And I thought we had all of our powers."

"I did too," Ian said, staring at his hands. "Maybe that's why I've been feeling kinda weird today. Because of this new power. I was having hot flashes." Ian sat down at the table, still staring at his hands.

Katie raised an eyebrow, also sitting down at the table. "....Guys don't get hot flashes."

"They don't? Well I have been." Another hot flash ensued and a fireball shot from Ian's hand and hit the wall, leaving a large scorch mark. "Oh no. New power, I can't control it, and I am feeling sick. What do I do if this happens at the Doctor's office?"

"Well... You'll just have to try not to make one."

"Okay," Ian said, "I will try my best."   

~*~*~

At five o'clock Ian arrived at Doctor Robinson's office. He went in and walked up to the front desk. "Hi, I have an appointment with Dr. Robinson." 

The secretary nodded. "Have a seat right over there and the doctor will be out in a moment," she said. 

"Thank you." Ian took a seat and waited a minute. 

Dr. Robinson came out and saw Ian. "Good day Mr. King. Come right this way." Ian followed the doctor into a white room. He sat down and waited while the doctor got some things ready. Ian told him of what was wrong, of course leaving out the part of shooting fireballs from his hands. "Okay, we can take some tests and then I will call you tomorrow." Ian nodded, but cringed as the doctor took out a needle.

~*~*~

Katie walked into the foyer. There were balloons and streamers all around the house, a tell-tale sign that she had been working on the decorations while he was gone. "What he say?"

"Well he took some tests, and took some blood. Said he would call me tomorrow." Ian looked around. "The place looks good. You did a great job."

Katie grinned. "Thanks. Saves a lot of work for tomorrow."

"That is true.... Ugh. I am still not feeling well. Look, I am going to head up to bed. I'll see you in the morning." Ian hung up his coat on the hook and then headed upstairs.

~*~*~

"Where am I?" Ian said quietly to himself. It was dark and there was fog all around. "Hello?! Katie?! Is anyone out there?!" Ian looked around and began walking forward through the fog. It wafted around him, thick and moist. In the distance Ian saw a light. Two lights actually. There were red and very close together. He ran towards them. "Is someone there?! Hello?!" He got closer and closer to the lights. He reached a rock where the lights seemed to be coming from. But they were not lights. They were eyes; the eyes of an evil and monstrous creature. 

"RWAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!" it screamed, leaping at Ian. 

"AH!" Ian bolted up in his bed. Cold sweat was rolling in beads down his face. It had been a dream.... but Ian didn't know what it meant.    

~*~*~

"Morning," Ian mumbled as he walked into the kitchen. He felt horrible. His stomach felt like it had been doing somersaults all night.

"Good morning," Katie said, almost too cheerfully. She stood in front of the stove, making pancakes. "Pancakes?"

"Oh god no..... I don't think I can eat anything without it coming back up." Ian took a seat at the table. "Maybe just some coffee would be good." He took the pot that sat there and poured himself a glass. Ian sat there, holding the cup, trying to warm his cold and clammy hands. "Katie? Um... I know this may sound silly. But when I used that new power of mine against the demon.... well it didn't seem natural. I mean.... it didn't seem right. I can't really explain it," he said, looking over at his sister.

"Ian, anything magical in this house doesn't sound silly anymore." Katie took the pan off the stove and put the pancakes on a plate. "What do you mean, unnatural? Try to explain it," she told him, walking over with the plate and starting to eat at the table.

Ian tried not to watch as Katie scarffed down the pancakes. "I don't know. It just didn't feel right. It didn't feel good..... it felt.... evil." Ian sighed and took a sip from his coffee mug.

"...Evil?" Katie asked, looking up at Ian's face, then down at the cut on his arm.

"Well yeah. Demons are the ones who throw the fire. I haven't yet heard of any good witch doing that. Have you?"

"Well... No. But what about that scratch you got from the demon?"

Ian glanced at his bandaged arm, which was covered up with his shirt sleeve. "What abo-" Ring ring! Ian got up and grabbed the phone. "Hello?" 

"Hi, Ian, this is Dr. Robinson. I.... I have the results of our tests." 

"Oh good. And?" 

"Well they don't seem to make any sense. It is impossible." 

"Doctor? Tell me what they said." 

Ian heard Dr. Robinson sigh. "Well.... the test results show that you have all the symptoms, and they say that... well they say that you are pregnant." Ian's eyes widened at this. "But there must have been a mistake," the doctor continued. "There is now way that you could be pregnant. I mean it just doesn't make sense." 

"Uh, you are absolutely right, Doctor. I think you should go over those tests again and then call me back later. Okay? Bye." Ian quickly hung up the phone and made his way back to his seat, stunned.

"Well?" Katie asked, waving the fork she still had in her hand in front of Ian's face. "What the doc say?"

"Uh.... well. You won't believe this, but he said... he said that I'm pregnant." Ian stared into his mug of coffee.

Katie stared at Ian. "Well... Uh... That can't be right because... well, men can't get pregnant!"

"I know. It just doesn't make any sense! How could I possibly be....." Realization dawned on Ian. "Oh my god."

"....Huh?"

"The creature! I started feeling sick ever since that damn thing cut me! I thought it was this new power of mine but it must have been the... pregnancy." Ian got up from the table and walked out of the room. "Come on!" he called over his shoulder.

Katie stood up and ran after her brother. "Where are we going? And I haven't finished my pancakes!"

Ian started to head up the stairway. "We are going up to the attic to check the Book. I want to see what it was that attacked us." They entered the attic and went over to the Book Of Shadows that sat on its pedestal. Ian opened the old book and began to search through it. "Demon, demon, warlock, demon, spell, spell, spell, demon, demon, warlock, demon.... AH HA!" Ian slammed his hand down on the page. "This is it. 

"A Kargator. This large creature is known to roam through the outskirts of small cities, feeding on unsuspecting prey. It has super strength, poisonous fangs, and has the ability to throw fireballs." Ian glanced at Katie for a second and then read on. "These creatures reproduce by injecting their spores into another being by slashing them with their claws. The spores adapt the body so that any being will be able to carry the baby. The baby grows at a fast rate and it's powers surface almost immediately, using the carrier to channel the power. After three days the baby is ready to leave the body that holds and takes full control of its carrier. It goes to a deserted spot (usually a swamp or forest) and eats its way out. The mother does not care for its young, but the baby must learn to survive on its own. For a complete description of the life of a young Kargator look in Magical Creatures by Laura Mirth." Ian finished reading and looked up. "Oh my god.... I'm pregnant!"

"I figured. Okay... Since it takes control of your body in two days or so, let's lock you up in a metal cage!" Katie noticed Ian's stare. "Or not."

"It will actually take control tomorrow, if this thing is right. But what did it mean by 'full control'? Is it going to take control of me from time to time? What do we do if that happens?" Ian breathed in deeply and then let the breath out. "Katie, we have to cancel this party."

"We can't! For one thing, everything is all set up. And for another, everyone is probably psyched for this party, and has their costumes... and stuff."

"But what happens if this... this thing takes control of me during the party? What if I kill someone? We can't take that risk!"

"We'll lock you up in your room so you can't hurt anyone. I've always wanted to do that..." Katie said, with a daydream look.

"I am not going to lock myself in my room, you idiot!" Ian's face had gone contort with anger. But it subsided instantly. "Sorry.... I just felt a wave of anger that I couldn't seem to stop. This baby is messing with me already." Ian closed the BOS and sat down on the couch. "I just feel so helpless...." Tears started to come to his eyes. "What am I going to do tomorrow? I can't get eaten.... Katie... this could be the hormones talking, but I'm scared."

"Hey, it's all gonna be alright," Katie told him awkwardly. It was odd seeing Ian cry like that... As if him being pregnant wasn't odd enough. "We're most powerful witches of the century, right? And bloody hell if we're gonna let a baby defeat us."

Ian wiped the tears off his face and smiled up at his sister. "You're right. This thing is nothing compared to what we have dealt with before. Now we will find a way to stop this creature before it eats me alive." Ian shuddered slightly at the thought. "Oh... but Kate? I have to ask you to do a little... illegal thing with me."

"...Illegal?" Katie didn't like the sound of that.

"Um... well we can't exactly let Dr. Robinson know that am really pregnant. So we have to get into his office, steal those files and destroy them."

"Oh right, no problem. We do this kind of thing every week," Katie replied sarcastically. "Come on, let's get this over with."

  
~*~*~

They pulled into the parking lot of the doctor's office and got out of the car. "Okay," Ian said, "you know the plan?" 

Katie nodded. "Freeze, break into Robinson's office, steal files, unfreeze, go home." 

Ian smiled. "That's right. Now let's go." Ian pulled open to the door. "Okay, now."

Katie stood in the doorway and froze the room. "You realize that if someone comes in here, we could get totally busted, right?"

"Yes. I know. Now come on." They walked through the waiting room and then through a door into a hallway. Ian glanced into one of the rooms and saw the doctor with a patient. The two siblings moved on to Dr. Robinson's office and opened the door. "Okay, now we search. You look on the computer. Find anything about me, delete it. I'll look in the desk drawers."

"Right. Okay... Ian King.." Katie typed Ian's name into the search program. "Ah ha," she muttered to herself. "Okay, delete all medical files..." There was a bleep from the computer, signifying all files were deleted. "Why did that seem too easy?" she asked Ian.

"Because it always is easy to delete files on a computer," Ian was digging through a file cabinet now. "Found mine. Now all we have to do is- Murdering witch!" Ian spun around and sent a fireball flying at Katie.

"AH! Ian!" Katie yelled while ducking the fireball. It hit the monitor of the computer. "Oh, look what you did. You ruined the office's computer... not to mention almost killing me!"

"Oh no..... this thing is starting to take me over." There was noise from outside the door. "Crap, all the noise we made must have alerted Dr. Robinson!" Ian hissed. He ran over to Katie and grabbed her hand. Katie orbed them out and a second later the door opened. Dr. Robinson stood there, staring at his melted monitor, stunned.

~*~*~

"Okay, we have to find out how to stop that... thing... from taking over you. We have a party tonight, and I do NOT want anything to go wrong," Katie said to Ian, once again flipping through the Book.

"Um.... we could say a spell to subdue it for tonight. Because...." Ian looked at his watch. "Our friends should be here very soon."

"Crap, you're right. It's already four! Okay, spell, spell... we need a spell." Katie flipped the pages of the Book faster, almost panicking.

Ian laid a hand on Katie's shoulder. "Hello, spell maker here. Okay... Evil creature that I hold, you may be strong, you may be bold. But your power is that of new, so tonight your magic I shall subdue." He glowed for a moment. "Think it worked?"

"It should've. You glowed." Katie walked out the door quickly. "Gotta get the food ready! And get dressed..." she called over her shoulder.

_Ding dong!_ "I'll get it!" Ian went into the foyer and opened the front door. 

"Hey Ian. Long time no see," said a woman dressed as a fairy. Ian smiled. 

"Hey Amy. Come on in. You are the first one here." Ian shut the door after Amy had walked in and led her into the living room. 

"Oh.... you guys did a wonderful job." 

"Actually Katie did it all." 

"Oh, and where is she?"

Katie entered the living room just then, dressed in her witch costume. "Hey Amy! How are you?"

"I'm good.... a witch Katie? I never knew you liked witches. Things are so ugly.... and gross."

"They are not!" Katie said hotly. Amy looked at her funny. "I mean... I never believed that... I'll go get the snacks," she said quickly, then left the room.

"I'll help!" Ian quickly went after his sister. "Okay, that started off ba- Oh no!" Ian stomach all of a sudden inflated and grew very large. "Oh... I think the baby is growing."

"Oh no..." Katie flicked her fingers toward the door of the kitchen and it closed. "Okay... We can cover this up... It's your costume! Yeah... A man that's pregnant... A regular freak of nature... Yeah."

"But what about my Dracula costume? .... Not that I would fit in it anymore. God this thing is heavy." Ian sighed. "Okay, this is going to be so weird." _Ding dong!_ "I'll get it," Ian said. He went as fast as he could, which was pretty slow, to the front door and opened it. 

"Oh god," Jason said. "Ian, man, is that your costume?" 

Ian started to sweat. "Uh... yeah. I lost a bet to Katie. Come on in." Jason came in along with Corey, Jenn, Mack, and Sarah. "Just make yourselves at home." 

Amy came out of the living room. "You know, Ian, I have always loved this house of yours. It is so..... whoa. When did you change into THAT?"

 "Just a few minutes ago..... I'll be right back." Ian went to the kitchen where Katie was still getting ready. "Ow.... my back is starting to hurt."

"Take some Motrin or Tylenol. I gotta take these things out to the dining room," Katie said, already walking out to the dining room, her hands full of snacks.

~*~*~

Thirty minutes later the party was raving. Everyone was dancing and having a good time.... except Ian. He sat on the couch, eating and eating. "Katie! We need more food," Ian yelled to his sister after crumpling up a bag of potato chips.

Katie walked into the living room where Ian was sitting. "You ate all the food already? It's been a half hour!"

"Well I am very hungry and I want more food NOW!" Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at Ian. "Um.... I mean... I'll be right back." Ian pushed himself up from the couch and waddled into the kitchen. "Alright you dang baby, I cast a spell so that you would be subdued. Now let's keep it that way."

Katie shook her head. "Must be that time of the month," she told everyone, grinning. Several chuckled; some just shrugged and went back to what they were doing. Katie followed Ian to the kitchen. "Calm down, will you?"

"I can't calm down!" Ian yelled furiously. "You try holding this evil little thing and being calm!" Ian then grabbed a plate off the counter and threw it at his sister.

Katie froze the plate before it hit her. "Is that the hormones or the baby talking? I want to know before I yell back," she said calmly, picking the plate out of the mid-air.

"I.... I'm sorry." Tears started to come from Ian's eyes and he sunk to the floor. "I can't control it..... It is just so.... evil." Ian lifted his head. "Wait a minute. This thing is just a baby. Maybe I can try to turn it good! Then it won't be such a threat."

Katie flicked her wrist to close the door of the kitchen and kneeled down in front of Ian. "Do you seriously think you could do that? The Book said..."

"I don't care what the Book said! The Book is a piece of crap! .... Oh.... man this thing..... I can't take it. I am going to bed. Tell the guests that I'm sick.... or something." Ian got up and headed for the door. He turned back and said, "Sorry for ruining your party." Ian then turned and left.

Katie went back out to the party and mingled with friends. In the middle of a conversation with Jason, Mack, and Lancer, Jason asked, "Where's Ian?"

"Ian? Oh, he's sick. He says he might have some sort of flu," Katie told him, shrugging. They took that as an acceptable answer and continued talking.

~*~*~

Early the next morning Katie woke up to hear noise from upstairs. She got up and went to the attic to find Ian looking furiously through the Book Of Shadows. "Ian, what are you doing?" 

"I... am looking for some way to get this baby out of me. There has to be some way to do it. And if I don't do something now.... I am going to be taken under full control and then... well you know the story."

"Why don't you just make up a spell? There isn't a spell in there; I looked right before I went to bed last night," Katie said sleepily, and went to stand in front of the Book.

"A spell to do what though? If I use a spell to get it out of me... then what do we do?" Ian closed the Book and sat down in an old chair.

Katie thought for a moment. "How about... We make up a spell to find one of the Kargators, and transfer the baby to it's body? Then I could make a potion to vanquish it."

"Transfer.... that could work. And we could scry for the Kargator with that knife you used to kill the other one! .... You still have it, right?"

"Yeah, it's in the kitchen. We should make the potion first, before we go off looking for it. I'll do that now while you make up the spell, okay?"

"Okay, well use some of the hairs off the knife to make the potion, but save some for scrying."

"Yes, Ian, I know," Katie said a bit too patiently while exiting the attic.

A few minutes later Ian made his way into the kitchen. "I got the spell. You got the potion?"

"Yeah," Katie replied, filling up two vials with a brownish-yellow liquid.

"Good. Now, we scry." Ian took the knife and went over to the table where Katie had already put the scrying tools. He wrapped the string of the crystal around the point of the knife and then started to rotate it over the map. "Come on..... come on...... NO!" Ian flung his arm sideways, sending the knife and string flying through the air. It hit the wall and stuck there. ".... Kate? maybe you should do the scrying. This baby does not want me finding a Kargator."

Katie blinked, then strode over to pry the knife out of the wall. "I must say, your baby has quite a good aim. It just barely hit the cabinet. One more millimeter, and we would have to fix something else." She looked at the hole in the wall, then added, "Well, we would have to fix the cabinet instead of the wall, anyway." Walking over to the table, she sat down, pulled the map to her, and started to spin the crystal around the map. 

A few seconds later, it landed. "Central park. Let's go." Katie grabbed the potions, handing one to Ian, and orbed to the park.

Ian looked around. "Okay. We are in the woods, it is kinda dim, and we are hunting a creature that could kill us in a second. I just love these little adventures of ours." Katie rolled her eyes at Ian and then they started forward. 

"Well," Katie said, "it should be around here somewhere...." A second later there was a great roar and a Kargator leapt out of the trees. It turned to the two siblings and bared its fangs. "Katie, freeze it!"

Katie threw up her hands and the creature slowed. "My power doesn't work very well on these things!" she said, pulling Ian back while backing away from the Kargator. "Say the spell before it returns to normal speed!"

"Well you have to say it with me!" Ian pulled out the spell he had written and the two began to read it. "In my body you do grow, although only a baby you are an evil foe. With this spell we transport thee, to your own kind, so it shall be." Ian's stomach glowed as they ended the spell. A ball of blue light then shot out of the male witch and into the Kargator. Ian looked down at himself. His stomach was normal size again. "Okay, we did it. Now throw the potion!"

As the Kargator returned to normal speed, Katie threw the potion. It hit the Kargator, which burst into flames on contact. "Don't you just love happy endings?" Katie asked when the show was done.

"Yeah. I do. Especially this one. I tell you.... I will never think of a woman as being whining when she is pregnant. It is all just so overwhelming.... and I have had the honor of experiencing it." Ian smiled. "I am the only man to have ever been pregnant. I should get an award.... or something."

"Actually, I saw this commercial on TV for a Star Trek episode where a guy gets pregnant..." Katie said thoughtfully. Ian stared at her. "No, you're right, not the same," she replied quickly to his unspoken comment. "Besides, you don't know the half of what we women go through on a day-to-day basis."

"And I don't want to. Now let's go home and eat. I don't have to worry about feeling sick now." Katie took his arm and orbed them home. 

Twenty minutes later they sat in the kitchen, finishing up their breakfast. Ian had made waffles with a side of bacon and eggs. "Katie," Ian said. "Look, I am sorry I ruined your party. I know you really wanted it to go perfectly."

"Don't worry about it, Ian. I know what happened, I understand, so let's forget about it, alright?" Katie replied, taking a bite of the eggs she made for herself.

Ian thought for a moment. "Well.... how about we have another party next week. This time we will make sure there are no demon interruptions. It could be a pool part too!"

"...We don't have a pool."

"Well we will cast a spell! Nothing will stop us from having the perfect party. Okay?" Katie just stared at her brother. "Okay?" 

Katie laughed. "Alright. But if you mess it up... I get to kill you." 

"It's a deal." They laughed and then went back to eating breakfast.


	14. Under the Sea

**A/N: I should add that Ian wrote most of this.**

Ian drove down the road in his car towards home. It was raining and the drops of water pounded against the windshield. He passed by the beach and glanced out at the ocean. The waves were large and crashed against the shore. Then the sound of the rain was drowned out by a different noise. It was a song..... someone was singing. It sounded mournful. But as Ian drove on the song faded away and was again replaced by the sound of the rain. 

When he arrived home, Ian opened the door to the manor and came into the foyer, sopping wet. "Hello! Kate, are ya home?!" 

Katie poked her head out of the living room. "Do I have to be?" 

"No, I was just seeing if you were here. Man it is terrible out there. The rain just keeps coming." Ian took off his coat. "Um..... I think I should get changed." Water was pooling around his feet where he stood. 

"Good idea. You're mopping that up, too." Katie went back into the living room. She had been watching her favorite movie, Horse Whisperer. She turned up the volume as she sat back down on the couch. 

~*~*~

Ian came down the stairs, fully changed and mostly dry. He glanced at Katie in the living room and then went into the kitchen. Ian got a glass out of the cupboard and turned on the faucet. As he filled up the glass Ian heard singing again. It wasn't as strong when he had passed by the beach, but it was still there. Ian turned off the water and the singing stopped. 

Katie held a Kleenex in her hand as the accident in the movie happened. She gasped as the truck hit the horse and rider. Blood was on the road from the many cuts on the horse... the dead body of the kid. Tears were coming slowly down Katie's face. Truly a tear-jerker, this part was. 

Ian came in, picked up the remote from the table and paused the movie. Katie glared up at Ian. "What?" she asked, partly angry at her brother for stopping the movie. 

Ian set the remote back down. "Have you...." Ian started trying to think of what to say. "Have you heard someone singing? Like.... just singing this mournful song and you don't know where it is coming from?" 

"No, I haven't. Can I watch the movie now?" 

Ian sighed. Apparently he was hearing things. "Yeah... sorry for bothering you." He un-paused the movie and went upstairs to take a nice long shower. 

~*~*~

Ian stood in the shower, letting the water run down over him. And then the song started again. It sounded even more sad this time. Ian turned off the water and it stopped. He grabbed a towel and dried himself off. After changing back into his clothes Ian went downstairs and grabbed his keys. "I'm going out," he said to Katie. 

"Okay, bye," was all Katie said, focusing on the movie. 

Ian put on his coat and went out to his car. He started it up and then began to drive out to the beach. 

When he arrived Ian got out of the car and looked around. The song had started up again and was very strong this time. The rain fell heavily on Ian as he made his way across the beach, following the song. 

It led him to some large rocks that jutted out over the shallow part of the shore. Ian climbed up over them, trying not to slip. He got over the top and looked down to the other side. And there, on a large flat rock, sat a mermaid. 

Ian started to go down towards the Mermaid. "Hey!" he called. The Mermaid stopped singing and looked up at Ian, startled. She then moved quickly across the rock. "Hey, wait!" Ian yelled. But she would not wait. She reached the edge and dived off it into the water. The last thing Ian saw of her was her tail slipping down under the surface.   


~*~*~

"Katie!" Ian called as he entered the manor. "We have a little problem!" Katie groaned from the living room, still watching Horse Whisperer. 

Pausing the movie, she said, "What demon now? The witchy thing is fun and all, but demons every couple days..." 

"It's not a demon," Ian said, sitting down in a chair. "I followed this song that I have been hearing to the beach and I found a Mermaid. Tried to talk to her but she ran...... swam away." 

Katie raised an eyebrow. "A mermaid. Riiight..." Ian got up and Katie followed him. They went all the way up to the attic. Ian had thought that would be a better place for it. The Book now sat on a stand in the center of the room. Opening the book Ian began to look through it. 

"Hope there is something on Mermaids. I just can't believe they're real..... not that I should be surprised." Ian stopped on a page that had a picture of a mermaid on it. "Here we go. Mermaids. Mermaids are immortal beings, half woman half fish, who live in the sea. They are cold-blooded and are fond of shiny baubles. They enjoy the freedom of the ocean, and hear nothing but the call of the sea. If a mortal falls in love with a mermaid and confesses his love to her, then the mermaid becomes mortal." Ian looked up at Katie. "Okay, this doesn't really help me. It says nothing about the song she was singing.... or how to find her again." 

"Maybe a spell?" Katie suggested. "Or we could go to the ocean again, hope she's there." 

"Alright, I'll go back and look for her. You stay here and try to find anything that might be useful." Ian went back out to his car and drove off to the beach. 

~*~*~

He arrived and went straight to the rocks where he had found the Mermaid before. The song was coming strongly through the air, and seemed very sad. Ian climbed over the rocks again and saw her. "Excuse me!" he called over the noise of the rain and the song. The Mermaid stopped singing and turned to Ian. She started to move away. "Wait! I can help you!" 

The Mermaid stopped and turned to look up at Ian, who was making his way toward her. "Yes..... why didn't I think? Mortals can not hear my song. So you must not be mortal." 

"No," Ian said. "I'm not. I'm a witch." The Mermaid seemed to fill with joy. "Then you can help me! Oh please you have to help. My people and all the creatures in the ocean are in trouble? He is killing innocent merpeople and others. He has to be stopped!"   
Ian frowned. "Who?" he asked. 

"The Shark demon. Ages ago we Mermaids used to have powers. We were the sister species of witches. The Shark Demon came and attacked, but the Mermaids used their power to put him in a deep sleep. They then put him away, far down in the depths of the ocean. But he has awoken. And we Mermaids no longer have power. Only our immortality. Please, you have to help us!" 

Ian nodded. "I will. But we have to go back to my place and speak with my sister. I think I can think of a spell that will give you legs." The Mermaid nodded. Ian then began to say a spell. "Oh great magic come to my aid, in just an hour this spell will fade. Give this Mermaid legs to walk, so she may go to the city beyond these rocks." The Mermaid started to glow and then she changed into human form. Yet she was naked, so Ian took off his jacket and gave it to her so she could cover up. They then walked back to Ian's car. "By the way.... what's your name?" 

The Mermaid smiled. "Emma," she said.   


~*~*~

  
"C'mon... Anything? Please?" Katie asked the Book of Shadows, flipping through it for the fourth time. Yet she found nothing. A slam of the front door made her look up. She went to the top of the stairs and saw Ian and a nude woman in his jacket. "Ian? Who... Do I even want to know?" 

"This is Emma," Ian said. "The Mermaid. Do you think you could lend her some clothes?" 

"Uh, yeah. Hold on." Katie disappeared, only to return a few minutes later with clothes in her arms. "I think these should fit you," she said, walking down the stairs and handing the clothes to Emma. 

"Thank you," Emma said. Katie then directed her to the bathroom so that she could change. She came out a minute later with her socks on her hands and her pants on backwards. 

"Uh.... Kate?" Ian said. "Maybe you should help her out." 

Katie sniffled her laughter. "Honey, the socks," she said, indicating the socks on the Mermaid's hands, "Go on your feet. And the pants are on backwards." 

"Oh...." Emma said. "Sorry, I have never done this." 

"It's alright. Easy mistake." As Katie and Ian waited while Emma fixed her clothes, Katie asked, "So what's going on?" 

"Well it so seems that she and her people are in trouble." Ian then told Katie everything that Emma had told him. "So we need to help her, and we have to be quick about it." 

"But how? We can't go down there, under water." 

"I know. There wouldn't be enough time, even if we used scuba diving equipment. We would run out of air. And how would we fight? I don't really see a way that we could do anything." Just as he said that Emma came in. "Oh hey Emma," Ian said. 

She looked sad. "You can't help me? But I thought you said you could." 

"No, no... We were just talking about how to be able to stay under water for so long," Katie said quickly. "We're not sure how yet." 

"Okay, let's go check the Book Of Shadows for this Shark Demon." They all headed up the stairs, going a little slower so that Emma could learn how to use the stairs. Once in the attic Katie and Emma sat down on the dusty while Ian went over to the Book and opened it up. "Okay.... let's see what we can find." 

"This is a comb. We brush our hair with it. And this is a mirror." Katie was picking up objects and showing them to Emma, who was examining each one closely. 

"These type of things are always falling into the water from ships and things. But we never knew what they were for." She grabbed a book off the table next to her and flipped through it. "What is this?" 

"It's a book," Katie said. "We write stories in them." 

"We tell stories by song and remember them by passing them on to each generation. See we may be immortal, but accidents do happen. And many of us leave the Kingdom to go explore the rest of the ocean." 

"You have a King?" 

"Why of course. He is a wonderful Merman. He has been rule for the past 200 years. Don't you have a King?" 

"Well," Katie said, "sorta. We have someone that is called a President. He is like a King, but he doesn't have ALL the power. The power is separated into sections. Like the Senate and the House Of Representatives.... okay I won't get into all this. I hate politics."   
Ian grinned and then looked back at the BOS. "Hey I think I found him." 

Katie and Emma got up and came to stand next to Ian. "Yep," Emma said. "That's him." 

"Jerimia," Ian read. "Jerimia is a Shark Demon; half man, half shark. Many years ago, when the Merpeople still had their magic, Jerimia ruled the ocean. He terrorized the population into doing his bidding. After ten years of this horror, the Merpeople banded together to fight Jerimia. Since he was too strong to destroy the Merpeople used a powerful spell to put the demon into a deep sleep. They then put him in a cave in the depths of the ocean where he slumbers to this day." Ian looked up. "Well, it doesn't say what powers he has." 

"Move over," Katie said. Ian stepped aside and Katie took his spot. She turned the page. "Ah ha.... Shark Demon. Shark demons live in the ocean. Their upper half is that of a human with a dorsal fin on their back. The lower half is that of a shark. These demons have the power to shoot crimson spears from their hands. Shark demons are rare, but powerful, so beware of them." 

"Okay so we have to figure out something before Emma here turns back into...... a Mermaid." Realization filled Ian's face and he smiled. "That's it!" 

"What? What's i--" Katie suddenly figured out what Ian was thinking. "Oh no. No no no. I am not gonna get turned into a Mermaid." 

"Oh yes you are. It is the only way that we can stay down there long enough to stop the demon." 

"Ugh, fine." 

"Okay," Ian said, "Let's look in the Book for a transforming spell." Katie and Emma went about the attic with Emma asking what everything was, while Ian took the Book and sat down on an old couch. "Okay..... spell... spell." He found one and smiled. "Okay, we need some stuff for this one. Mandrake root, toad flax, and a piece of the thing that we are turning into...... But I think we are out of toad flax. Kate, can you go get some while I get the other stuff ready?" Katie nodded and orbed out to the store. Ian stood up. "Okay, well let's go down stairs and get started." 

~*~*~

Ian and Emma were in the kitchen. There was a pot boiling on the stove and Ian was searching through the cabinets. "Ah, here it is." Ian pulled out a jar of mandrake root and set it on the counter. He went over to the table where the Book was sitting open. "Okay.... it says that after we say the spell.... we drink the potion and it should turn us into Merpeople. Yet.... it says here that we won't be able to use our powers and there is a two hour limit. I guess we will have to figure out what to do when the time comes. But for now we need to finish this potion." He turned to Emma. "We have the mandrake root, and Katie should be back soon with the toad flax. But we need something from you to finish it." 

"I can give you one of my scales.... but I need to be a Mermaid for that." 

Ian looked at the clock. "Well you should be turning back any min-" There was a flash of light and Emma fell to the floor. She was a Mermaid again. "Well," Ian said. "I guess we solved that problem." 

Katie orbed into the kitchen holding a small bag in her hand. "I got the toad flax," she reported. Then she noticed Emma on the floor... with a Mermaid tail. "Well then," was all she said, not quite knowing what to say. 

Ian helped Emma up into a chair. Emma took a scale off her tail and handed it to Ian. "Thanks." Ian went over to the pot. "Toad flax, please," Ian said, holding out his hand. Katie set the paper bag containing the toad flax onto Ian's hand. "Thank you," Ian said. He then put some of the toad flax into the pot, and then the mandrake root. Finally he held the scale over the pot and dropped it in. The was a puff of smoke and Ian waved it away. "Okay, potions ready." He put the potion into two bottles and then walked over to Katie and Emma. "Let's go." 

Katie orbed them to the ocean... and landed in the water. "Ugh, didn't want to do that," she said, balancing on one foot to take off her shoes. 

Emma was smiling. "Oh it feels so good to back in the ocean." It had stopped raining, but the waves were still large. 

"That's nice..... now let's do this quickly." Ian handed one of the bottles to Kate and then began to say the spell. He had memorized it earlier. "Through heaven and hell, through space and time, we speak out this magical rhyme. Transform us now we ask of you, so we can experience something new." The two then drank the potion. They began to glow and then transformed into merpeople. They fell into the water. "Oh... Kate. You have scales." 

"So do you." 

Ian looked down. "I feel like a lizard." 

"You look like one," Katie teased. "But this water is cold!" she complained. 

"Well there is no time to complain. Let's.... get going." Ian looked around. "Now how do we do this?" 

"Ask her," Katie said, gesturing at Emma. 

"Just dive in!" Emma yelled with glee. She then threw herself into an oncoming wave and disappeared under the water. Ian looked at Katie. 

"I am feeling these instincts...... I think I know what to do. Let's follow Emma." He then turned over swam down into the ocean. 

Katie shrugged and dove under, quickly catching up with Ian. "We don't even know what to do when we find this shark guy." 

"You just talked! I just talked! We can talk under water. And I can breathe." 

"Ian? We're Mermaids.... well, you're a Merman. But anyway, we're supposed to be able to do that kind of stuff under water." Katie shook her head at Ian's surprise. 

"Oh right. I shoulda known that. I saw The Little Mermaid." Emma swam up to them. "Come on. I'll show you the way." She then turned and went down into the darkness. Yet for them it wasn't darkness. As Merpeople they could see just fine. 

"Hey, Emma, where exactly are we going?" Katie asked. 

"To my home. The demon has taken the King's palace and is using it for his own. He has guards everywhere." 

"Is it safe to talk about him in your home? Without anyone over hearing, I mean." 

"Yes, it is. Just stay alert. The demon does have allies." Emma said all this with a calm tone. 

Ian glanced at his sister. "So how do we vanquish him without our powers?" 

"I'm still working on that," Katie replied. Soon they arrived at Emma's house, which was made of huge shells along with the ceiling and walls of a cave. "Alright," Katie began once they got comfortable. "What else do you know about the demon?" 

"Well," Emma said, "he has super strength along with that ability to shoot spears of energy from his hands. That's all I know." 

"So he has powers and we have fins. Great." Katie sat down next to Ian. 

Ian thought for a long moment. "Well we may not have our active powers, but we are still witches. We have spells.... and I am sure we can make a potion of some kind." 

"Spells and potions, eh? Well, I doubt they have the ingredients we need for the potions we know. Spells, on the other hand... We can just make them up," Katie said, thinking out loud. 

"We? I am the spell maker here, remember. You are just the one who gets potion stains everywhere." 

"Yeah well, I'm the one who has to orb you everywhere." 

"I could just drive!" 

Emma held up her hand. "The ocean is turning your hearts cold. It affects you only since you are not really merpeople. Control yourselves.... we need to concentrate on the demon." 

Ian smirked. "Yep, the demon of the week. Never changes." At that moment the was a loud bang and Emma's house shook. 

"Oh no!" she cried. "It's him!" The three swam outside to see a bunch of sharks circling around them. And Jerimia hovered just meters away. 

"Well well..... what do we have here? Some new playmates for me?" The demon smirked. A crimson spear appeared in his hand. Pulling his arm back Katie instinctively threw up her hands to freeze him. But nothing happened. 

"Oh right," she said, diving out of the way as the attack shot at her. 

"Attack!" Jerimia yelled. The sharks that were circling turned to Ian, Katie and Emma. They flashed their teeth and then sped toward them. 

"We have to get out of here!" Emma screamed. 

Ian swam up in front of the sharks that were speeding towards him. "Minions of the evil one, shall be repelled so we can run!" Inches before the sharks got to Ian they hit an invisible shield and were repelled back, spinning head over fin. "Okay, now we can get out of here." He whipped around and the three high tailed it out of there. 

~*~*~

"Alright let me sum this all up," Katie said. "We don't have our powers, we are being chased by very hungry sharks and a demon, and we are part fish. This just gets better and better." They had escaped from Jerimia and his fishy friends, and were now sitting on a rock far from Emma's home. 

"Well it isn't that bad...." Katie gave her brother a look. "Oh come on, Kate. We get to see all these wonderful thing. I admit that getting shot at with energy spears is a downer, but this is a once in a life time thing." 

"Okay okay. I get it. But we still have to figure out a way to vanquish the demon. If he couldn't be destroyed by all the Merpeople before...... what do we do?" 

"Well our magic should be more powerful than theirs were. Hey Emma, what did happen to your magic?" 

"Well after Jerimia there was no real threat to us. So after all the years it just went away. We evolved out of it. Our immortality is all we have left." 

"Hmmm...... maybe you can tap back into it. If we can find other Merpeople, find a way for you to tap into your magic, and combine that with ours then I think we can vanquish Jerimia." 

Katie nodded. "Didn't we do a tapping in thing before?" 

"Yep. It was when we went back in time to save George Washington." 

"Oh right..... I liked the power that I had. The lightning bolts were cool." 

"Kate.... focus." 

"Right." 

Emma spoke up. "I know where a large group of my people are being held. The King is there too. After Jerimia attacked he took the King into custody along with many others. We can go find them and bring them back here. It would be dangerous though.... they are being heavily guarded." 

"Yeah, I think.... OH NO! How long have we been down here?" 

"About an hour and forty-five minutes," Emma said. 

"Well there is a two hour time limit on this spell! Meaning we have fifteen minutes to get back to the surface." 

Katie's eyes widened. "Well let's move!" They pushed off the rock and kicked their tales furiously to get back to the surface. 

Once on shore they was a bright flash of light and Katie and Ian were human again. Katie stood up. "Well at least we changed back with our clothes on.... whoa!" She stumbled a little. "It kinda feels weird to have legs again." 

Ian turned to Emma who was floating in the water. "Okay, we are going to go home and make some spells and potions that can help us. Meet us back here in a few hours." Emma nodded and dove under the water. Ian then took his sister's hand and she orbed them back home. 

~*~*~

Bang! "Oh! Well the potion to act like your exploding power is done." Katie waved her hand to subdue the smoke. "How is it going with those spells?" 

Ian got up from the table and picked up the pieces of notepad paper that he had used. "Okay I have one to make a sort of mist to give us cover.... one to freeze things like your power.... and I think I have a vanquish for Jerimia." 

"Ah ha.... good work." 

"Thank you. So you ready to go kick some fishy demon's ass?" 

"As always." 

Ian smiled. "Then let's go." Katie finished bottling the potions and put them in a purse. 

"I bought this thing cheap so I don't care it it gets wet." Ian nodded as he put each piece of paper in a plastic sandwich bag. 

"Gotta keep these dry." He put them in Kate's purse with the potions. Katie took his arm and orbed them back to the beach. 

  
~*~*~  
  


"This is it," Emma said, pointing to a large cave, guarded by many sharks. They had met Emma at the beach as planned and turned themselves back into Merpeople. Now it was time to save the King and then vanquish Jerimia. 

"Alright," Ian said. "Is everyone ready?" Katie held up her purse and nodded. "Okay. Let's go." They swam quickly and quietly around the perimeter of the cave. "Kate, hand me the obscuring spell." Katie took out one of the sandwich bags and gave it to Ian. "With the current, to and fro, we say this spell to bring fog so, that we may save our friends today, and make the evil demon pay." 

At first nothing happened. But then the water began to fog up. A moment later the water was filled with a thick fog. "Good spell," Katie said. They swam through the fog and into the cave, making it past the blinded sharks. There was a commotion going on in the cave and an old, but healthy looking Merman approached. 

Emma bowed. "My King," she said. 

"Have you come here to free us, Emma?" the King asked. Emma nodded. "And who are these two?" 

"This is Ian and Katie. Ian answered my call for help. They are witches." 

"Witches, eh? Well I thank you for coming. Are you sure you can stop Jerimia? He is so powerful." 

"Well," Katie piped in, "we think that if you can call on your old powers and we combine that with our vanquishing spell, then we might be able to destroy him." 

The King frowned. "Might?" 

"Uh, well there is no guarantee...." 

"Katie, hush. We are almost positive that this will work." Ian smiled nervously. "But first we have to get out of here." At that moment sharks shot through the entrance of the cave. "Kate, the potion!" 

Katie opened her purse and took out a bottle. She threw it at the lead shark. It hit him and he vaporized in a bright flash. The other sharks were startled. "Let's move!" Kate yelled. All the Merpeople swam hard and Katie, Ian, and Emma took up the rear. 

They escaped and were now all sitting around the rock that Emma had taken them to earlier. "Okay, here is the plan," Ian said loudly, so everyone could hear him. "You have to focus and tap into the power that you once had. It didn't go away it just became dormant. Now focus.... feel the power within you." 

Katie leaned over and whispered in Ian's ear. "What is this? Star Wars?" 

"Ssh!" But Ian smiled slightly. All the Merpeople had their eyes closed and were concentrating deeply. 

"I feel it!" Emma cried. Everyone turned to look at her. She was glowing faintly. "I feel the power within. The power we used to have! Come on everyone! You can do it!" Over the next few minutes people glowed in turn until they had all felt the power. 

"Okay," Ian said. "Concentrate on keeping a hold of that power. We have to get to the palace and take out Jerimia right away!" 

"Oh you won't be going anywhere," came a deadly voice from above. They all looked up to see Jerimia and what seemed like over a hundred sharks hovering above them. Some screamed, and a few tried to get away. 

"Wait! Don't be afraid!" Katie yelled. "You have the power. Now let's use it. Concentrate your power on us. Combine it with our magic!" The Merpeople closed their eyes and concentrated once again. 

They all glowed brightly and then golden beams of light shot from each one and into Katie and Ian. "Alright, Kate, let's do it." They took out the spell and began to read.   
"Hear now the words of the witches, the secrets we hid in the night, the oldest of power is invoked here, the great work of magic is sought. In this day and in this hour we call upon the ancient power. To vanquish Jerimia and set free, the magic that was meant to be!" 

Jerimia writhed and screamed. "NO! This can't be happening! It's impossible!!!" BAM! Jerimia exploded and a massive shock wave shook the surrounding waters. The sharks seemed disoriented for a second and then they all peeled off, leaving the area.   
Cheers erupted from the crowd of Merpeople. A second later the golden beams shot out from Ian and Katie and returned to their owners. 

"Oh thank you, thank you!" Emma said, coming up to the siblings. "How can we ever repay you?" 

"Well..." Katie began. 

"No, thanks is all that we need," Ian interrupted. "But we have to get back to the surface before this spell ends. Goodbye Emma." 

"Goodbye. Thank you for helping us and thank you for the chance to let me experience what it is like to be human." 

"No problem," Katie said. The two then swam upwards toward the surface. 

~*~*~

"I'm home!" Katie called, entering the manor. It was the next day and the sun was shining beautifully. Ian came into the foyer to see his sister putting away her coat and holding a small bag. 

"What's that?" he asked. 

"Oh this? Well I got a movie...." 

"What movie?" 

"Splash. I decided that since we were Merpeople I wanted to watch some movies with some in it." 

"There is always The Little Mermaid." 

"I hate that movie. And this is not a cartoon." 

Ian smiled. "Okay, well let's watch. I'll get the popcorn!" 

"I'll get the blankets and start a fire!" The two then rushed off to get ready for a nice relaxing time in front of the television.


	15. Hawaiian Hell

**A/N: Another Ian product. Its pretty good. ;) Great ending too.**

"Guess what?!" Ian yelled as he ran into the kitchen. Katie jumped and spilled her coffee on her shirt. 

"What?" she said, grabbing some napkins. 

"Oh... sorry. Anyway, I just won two tickets to Hawaii!" Katie's eyes widened. 

"How? When? Tell me!" 

Ian smiled. "I won a contest and this was the prize. We can go this weekend." 

"Oh no.... I have to work." 

"Well ask your boss to give you leave. You have been working overtime since the club burned down." 

"I know that, but-" Ian put his hand over Kate's mouth. 

"No. No buts. We both need a break. Especially from all the demon stuff." 

"Oh... that. Well what if an innocent needs saving while we are gone?" 

Ian frowned. "Well we will just have to hope that that doesn't happen. And that reminds me. There is to be no use of magic on this trip. I don't want anything going wrong." 

"But-" 

"What did I say about that word? Now, Kate, you have to promise. No use of magic on this trip." Katie sighed and picked up her coffee mug. 

"Fine," she said, taking a gulp of her drink. 

"Good. Now I am going to go pack." 

"But Ian, we won't be leaving for at least four days." 

"Yeah, but it takes me awhile. See ya!" He then turned and left the room. 

~*~*~

"Hey! Watch it!" A very large woman rounded on Katie. 

"I'm so sorry for bumping into you. But this place is just so crowded..." The woman snorted and walked away briskly. 

"Okay, she needs a chill pill," Ian said to his sister. 

"Yeah... I haven't been to an airport in so long. Forgot how much I hate them." 

"Well don't worry. We will be on the plane very soon." Katie groaned. 

"I remember that I hate planes too. Ya know... I could just orb us over there." 

"No! You promised. No-" 

"Yeah yeah. No magic." The two made their way through the packed airport and got onto a small plane. 

~*~*~

Hours later Ian was shaken awake. "Ian wake up! We are almost there!" Katie was literally bouncing in her seat with excitement. Her fear of flying had melted away almost as soon as they took off. Ian's had not. He had spent sometime reading, but had slept most of the way. "Come on. Look out the window," Katie prodded. Ian sighed and gave in. 

Leaning past Kate Ian looked out through the small window. It was wonderful. The sun was just setting, sending out an orange glow that glittered across the water. And then came the islands. Magnificent greenery that seemed to sprout up from the ocean. Ian smiled. "This is going to be the best week ever."   
  


~*~*~

  
They landed and took a bus to a car rental. The whole trip was already paid for and a nice red beetle Volkswagen was waiting for them. "Oh I love it," Katie squealed. She grabbed the keys from Ian's hand and hopped into the drivers side. Ian rolled his eyes and got into the car. 

"Ya know," he said, "these cars seem so tiny on the outside, but they are really pretty spacious." 

"That is why I want to buy one and get rid of my other car. It is so cramped in there." 

Ian laughed. "So that is why you always let me drive." Katie laughed too and then started up the car. 

~*~*~ 

The two were very happy with their trip so far. And it got better. They were staying right next to one of the beaches in a beautiful wooden cabin. Everything was polished, there was a fruit basket on the table, and there was even a small fire place; already alight with flame. Ian and Katie decided to go to bed early. They had a whole week here and wanted to get up early the next morning.   
  


~*~*~   
  


"Surfs up!" Katie yelled, running to the water. The two had gotten some surf boards and decided to try it. Neither of them had ever surfed. 

"Katie, do you have any idea what to do?" Ian came up beside his sister, letting the water lick his toes. 

"Nope, but I don't care." Katie waded into the ocean until it was waist deep. Then she got on her board on her stomach and paddled out to where the waves were large. 

"Kate! Maybe you should begin closer to shore!" 

"Oh don't be such a wimp!" Katie called back. She pushed herself up into a standing position and took a moment to get balanced. "Look! I'm doing it! I am the queen of the-" Her last word was cut off by a wave that came crashing down on her. 

"Katie!" Ian yelled. He started to swim out to his sister, but someone else reached her first. The mystery-man carried Katie to where the sand was dry and laid her down. She was unconscious. The man began to give Katie CPR and after a few minutes Kate sputtered. She opened her eyes and looked up at the most handsome face she had ever seen. 

"What happened?" she asked. 

The man smiled. "I just saved your life." Ian ran up just then. 

"Kate, are you okay?" Katie sat up. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks to this guy here." Ian grabbed the man's hand. 

"Thank you SO much for saving her." 

"Your welcome. Are you her husband?" 

Ian laughed. "No, I'm her brother." 

The man grinned. "Well I was happy to help." He turned and began to walk away. 

Katie jumped to her feet. "Wait!" The man stopped and looked back. "What's your name?" 

The man smiled again. "Nathan Downs." He then walked away. 

Katie sank back onto the sand. "I think I'm in love," she said. Ian rolled his eyes. 

"You always say that. Now come on. Let's go get something to eat."   
  


~*~*~

Over the next few days Kate and Ian did everything. They went scuba diving, water skiing, danced around bonfires, and ate many different kinds of food. The two had arrived on Saturday. It was now monday. Five more days until they had to go back.

"I never want to go back to New York. It is just so wonderful here," Katie said. The two sat at a small table eating dinner. The sun had set and stars were just beginning to twinkle. 

"And there are no demons," Ian said with a smile. 

"That is one of the best-" Katie stopped. She was looking past Ian. 

"What is it?" 

"It's him." 

Ian turned around. "Who?" 

"Nathan." 

Nathan came up to their table just then. "So we meet again," he said. Katie just nodded and smiled weakly. 

Ian glanced from Nathan to his sister. "Ya know, I think I am going to turn in. I have a headache. You two just get to know each other." Ian got up from the table, winked at Katie, and walked away. 

Nathan sat down in the now vacant seat. "You know my name, but I never got yours." 

"Katie. Katie King." 

"Ah, such a powerful name." Katie flushed. Nathan took her hand and examined it. "So white. You are definitely not from around here." 

"I came in from New York City. Where did you come from?" 

Nathan let Kate's hand go. "I have been living here for two years. But I come from Ohio." They talked for awhile and found out that they had a lot in common. 

After dinner they took a walk down the beach. "Oh I just love it here," Katie exclaimed, looking out over the water. 

"Me too. That is why I stayed. I came here on a trip, but I loved it too much to leave." 

"What do you do here?" 

"Well I won some internet companies back in Ohio. It is pretty easy to run everything from here. And I am trying to expand my businesses." 

"But you are so young." 

"Well I started early and had luck on my side." 

Katie sighed. "Oh I wish I could stay here forever." 

"Why don't you?" 

"What? Oh, oh I couldn't. I have a job and.... responsibilities." Katie looked at Nathan. "Responsibilities that I can't ignore." 

"Well when do you leave?" 

"Saturday." 

"Then we better get cracking. Hey, tomorrow they are doing a special tour of one of the volcanoes. Don't worry, it's inactive," he added as he saw the look on Kate's face. 

So would you like to go?" 

"Yeah, and Ian will love the idea." 

"Ian?" 

"My brother." 

"Oh right... him. Maybe we can push him off a cliff." 

Katie laughed. "I doubt it. He could probably kick your butt five times before you could even blink." 

"Ah he is a fighting expert?" 

"That.... and other things." Before Nathan could say anything, Katie went running down the beach. "Try and catch me!" she yelled. Nathan smiled and ran after Kate. He caught up to her, grabbed her around the waist, and they fell. The two lay next to each other, looking into the other's eyes. Nathan rolled in and kissed Katie. She kissed him back. After a minute Katie pulled away and got up. "I... I should go," she said. Katie then silently walked back to the cabin. 

~*~*~

"It will be a long hike up there, so make sure you are all prepared. And if you have doubts about going, stay here. There will be no turning back." Katie stood next to Ian and Nathan in a small crowd of people. The guide that was taking them up was giving instructions. He was an average height, had a bit of a belly, and his black hair was graying. But he seemed tough, and he knew how to do his job. "So are we ready?" 

"Yeah!" everyone cried. The guide, whose name was Roger, turned and went into the massive trees. Katie picked up her back pack and followed Ian. Nathan walked beside her. Into the trees and up a sloping hill. 

"There is no trail, so stick together!" Roger called over his shoulder. 

"Kate," Nathan said. "About last night-" 

"Wasn't breakfast great?" Katie interrupted. "Those Hawaiian pancakes were wonderful. I haven't had pancakes in a long time. Waffles either. That's what we should have tomorrow; Hawaiian waffles. Do they have those?" 

"Katie stop. I wanted to say that-" 

"I just have to tell you, Nathan, that I usually don't go around kissing guys after I just meet them. I mean... it was a wonderful kiss, and I don't regret it, but I want you to know that I am not cheap. And-" 

Nathan grabbed Katie by the shoulders and turned her so she was facing him. "Kate. I don't think you are cheap. And I usually don't go around kissing girls that I have just met either. But I like you. I have liked you since you first opened your eyes after I pulled you out of the ocean." 

Katie smiled and blushed. "I like you too, Nate." They leaned in to kiss. 

"Kate! Nathan!" Ian yelled. The two stepped away from each other quickly as Ian walked towards them. "Come on you guys. You don't want to be left behind do you?" Katie shook her head. "Then let's go!" Ian hefted his back pack and began to jog back to the tour group, who were a few yards away. Katie smiled at Nathan and they went to catch up with Ian. 

~*~*~

Hours later they arrived. The group was very high up and everyone walked carefully to avoid falling. Roger began to explain the history of the volcano. But Ian wanted a closer look. He made his way to the lip of the gigantic hole. Kneeling down Ian looked in. Darkness was all that was there. Ian looked at the ground around him. It was so smooth, like marble. 

He began to rub his hand across the surface. Then Ian was hit with a massive vision! It was in full color! He saw a man dressed in a large hooded robe, doing a ritual in front of the volcano. It became active! Flashes of other volcanoes across the island... all erupting! Molten lava, death, destruction! 

The vision ended and Ian fell onto his back. The whole thing had taken a mere second, but it had seemed much longer to Ian. Katie rushed over with Nathan at her side. "Are you okay?" Katie asked. Ian got to his feet, trembling slightly. It had been the strongest vision Ian had ever had. And it terrified him. But he couldn't talk to Katie now. Not with Nathan and all those other people around. 

"I'm fine," he said. "I just slipped." Katie gave Ian a look. It was the one look she gave him when she knew he was lying. But she said nothing. 

About thirty minutes later they were ready to go back. The hike down hill would be easier, but it was a lot hotter out. And there were bugs everywhere. Yet Ian was paying no attention to them. He was thinking about what had happened in his vision. It had been SO clear. Ian had felt the heat of the lava and had faintly heard the screams of people dying..... 

The group had eaten lunch at the top of the volcano. When they got back it was time for dinner. Ian told Katie and Nathan that he was tired and was going to go get some sleep. So Katie and Nathan went to out to have dinner while Ian went back to the cabin. 

~*~*~

"I'm worried about Ian," Katie said, picking at her salad with her fork. 

"Why? He is just tired. It was a long hike." Katie nodded. She knew that that wasn't it. Something had happened up at the volcano. Ian had not just slipped. Kate decided that she would talk to her brother about it first thing tomorrow. 

~*~*~

Back at the cabin Ian was not sleeping. He had gathered the necessary components for a potion that would send him home. "Lavender, oysters, rosemary, chocolate, and a Karis root compound. Okay, I think that is everything." Ian needed the BOS. He could have just asked Katie to orb home and get it, but he had decided to do this on his own. Nothing was going to ruin this vacation...... Nothing. 

~*~*~

Nathan and Katie had finished eating and had been talking for the last fifteen minutes. "You know, Kate," Nathan said, "I have this large house all to myself.... and the night is still young. Kate, what I am trying to say is-" 

"You want me to go back to your house with you." 

Nathan smiled. "You read my mind." 

Katie stood from the table. "You better have a big bed." Nathan laughed as Katie pulled him up from the table. She kissed him and then said, "I should go check on my brother first." 

Nathan put a finger to Kate's lips. "He is sleeping. And don't worry. You can see him later." 

Katie kissed the finger. "You're right. He'll be fine." Nathan put his arm around Katie and the two walked back to his house. 

~*~*~

"Rituals to control water... rituals to control time... rituals to make your plants grow..." Ian sat on the couch near the fire with the Book Of Shadows in his hands. He had found a section on rituals, but had not yet found anything on how to control a volcano. Nor had he found any demon who had that kind of power. 

"Maybe I should do a general scrying of demons in the area," Ian said to himself. Along with the Book, Ian had brought back scrying tools and a box full of potions. Taking out a map of the island he began to rotate the crystal over it. After a few minutes nothing was happening yet. Ian was about to give up when the crystal gave a sharp tug and landed. "Got ya..." Ian quickly hid everything incase Katie came back, and then went out into the ever darkening night. 

~*~*~

"Wow..." Nate exclaimed, staring up at the ceiling. "That was amazing." 

Katie over onto her side, smiling. "Oh I'm not that good." 

"Don't be so modest. You are the Queen in bed." Katie laughed and hit Nathan lightly on his bare chest. "Hey! You aren't like a black widow spider, are you? Get what you want out of a male and then kill him?" 

"God no! I hate spiders." Katie shuddered. 

Nathan rolled onto his side too and gazed into Katie's eyes. "You are beautiful. But there seems to be something else. Behind those gentle eyes... something powerful... dangerous." Katie rolled away and sat up. 

"I should be going," she said. 

Nathan put a hand on Kate's arm. "No, wait. I didn't mean anything... Just that maybe there is more to you that meets the eye." 

Katie turned and looked at Nathan. "All there is to me is what you see before you." 

Nathan smiled and pulled Katie back down. "Then will you stay?" 

Katie put her head on Nate's chest and sighed. "Yeah. I'll stay." 

~*~*~

Ian walked through the trees and looked around. He was close. He knew it. Ian took the map out of his pocket and squinted at the little red X he had marked on there. "Left," Ian said to himself, and went left. He saw a faint light coming through the thickness of the trees. Coming to a clearing Ian saw a large tent near a fire pit, guarded by two tough looking men. 

Ian walked out into the clearing and stopped in front of the men. "What do you want?" the one on the right asked. 

"I wish to speak with the one in charge here." 

"Why?" 

Ian shifted slightly. "Because I-" Ian stopped. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a woman coming out of the trees. She conjured and energy ball. Ian quickly dropped to the ground as the attack came. It hit the guard on the left and destroyed him. Ian got up and saw the remaining guard advancing. Back flipping across the clearing he was able to evade the demon's attacks. The demon screamed in rage. "Oh shut up." Ian did a round house kick to his attacker's head. He dropped like a sack of potatoes. 

Ian looked around. Where was the female demon? _WHAM!!!_ Ian was knocked forward. Rolling over he saw her. She leaped at Ian. But he knew what to do. As soon as the she demon hit Ian rolled back and pushed up with his legs. The demon flipped over and landed on her back.... in the fire. Screaming out in pain she exploded. Ian stood up, brushed his jeans off, and calmly walked into the large tent. 

In the center sat a robed figure. The one from Ian's vision! "Who are you?" came a deep voice from under the hood. 

"I am the one who will vanquish you." 

The figure shook a little as he laughed. "So you are a witch. Yet you used no powers against my guards. Are your powers passive?" 

Ian smiled. "Only one of them. But I have chosen to fight without them this week." More laughter. 

"Then how do you expect to stop me?" 

Ian looked around and saw an athame lying on a table next to him. "Like this!" Ian grabbed the weapon and threw it at the hooded figure. Right before it hit him vines shot up from the ground and snatched the athame out of the air. They flung it aside and then were sucked back into the earth. The figure stood. 

"This is a warning. Stay out of my way!" He lifted his hand and a burst of wind shot from it. Ian flew back! Out of the tent and across the clearing. He hit a tree and fell to the ground with a grunt. Ian looked up just in time to see the tent disappear. 

~*~*~

Katie awoke the next morning and shielded her eyes from the sun that shined in through the window. She rolled over and found the other side of the bed empty. Katie quickly put on her clothes and left the bedroom. The smell of bacon was in the air. Entering the kitchen Katie saw Nathan standing at the stove. He noticed her and smiled. "Good morning," Nate said. "How did you sleep?" 

Katie sat down at the table and let out a sigh. "I kept waking up. I felt that.... that there was just something wrong. I don't know.... Maybe I had too much wine last night." 

Nate came over to the table with a frying pan and scraped some bacon and eggs onto the plate in front of Katie. "So what is planned for today?" he asked. 

"I think I am going to just lay on the beach and get a nice tan." 

Nate sat down and picked up his fork. "You do need one," he said, scooping up some food from his plate. 

"Well it is not that easy to get a tan in the city of New York. Pollution poisoning, yes. But not a good tan." 

Nathan laughed. "Two more reasons to stay here. Tanning and fresh air." 

Katie put a piece of bacon in her mouth and chewed it slowly. "I told you, I can't. I have responsibilities." 

"And they are...?" 

"I can't tell you." 

"Why not?" 

Katie put her fork down and got up from the table. "I have to go." She left the room and walked out of the house. 

~*~*~

Ian sat in front of the fire, stirring a potion in the pot he had hung in the fire place. There was a small bang as Ian added the last item. The potion was done. Ian poured the liquid into a bottle and capped it. "There. This should diminish that guy's powers long enough for me to take him out." 

He glanced out the window to see Katie walking towards the cabin. "Uh oh!" He poured the rest of the potion down the drain of the sink, put out the fire, and hid the BOS and potion box under the bed. Leaping onto the couch Ian grabbed a book and opened it to a random page just as Katie came in. "Hi. Where were you last night?" 

Katie sat down next to her brother. "With Nathan." 

Ian closed the book. "Ooooh. Then why are you back so early?" 

"I don't know. Any ways.... What did you do last night?" 

Ian got up and went over to the kitchen space. "Uh... nothing. I came back here, had a little bite to eat, and then went to sleep." He opened the cupboard and took out a box of cereal. 

"Alright, well then it's tannin time." Katie went into the next room to change into her suit. 

As soon as Katie left Ian took out the map and crystal. He began to scry and almost instantly it pulled hard and landed. "Oh no. He is making his way up to the top of the volcano!" 

~*~*~

Katie was walking away from the cabin when Nathan pulled up. "Katie, hey." Nathan got out of his car and Katie turned away. "Katie I'm sorry." 

Katie sighed. "Nathan I-" She stopped. Ian had just burst out of the cabin and jumped into the beetle. He pulled out sharply and sped down the street. Something was wrong. 

"You what?" 

"I... need to borrow your car." She then got into Nate's Jaguar and sped off. 

"Hey!" Nate yelled. 

"I'll be back soon!" Katie yelled back. 

~*~*~

Ian came to a stop where he had started the tour just the day before. Getting out he checked his pocket to make sure the potion was there. Then Ian ran off into the trees. Up he went, running at full speed. It would take him hours to the top. But as far as he could tell, the demon was walking. 

Minutes later Ian stopped running. He was breathing hard and there was a pain in his chest. When he looked up he saw the demon. He was a few yards ahead, walking calmly. Ian sucked in some air and ran after the demon. "Stop! I won't let you do this!" 

The demon did stop and turned around slowly. Ian didn't waste a second. He threw the potion, but the demon shot fire from his hand, vaporizing the bottle before it reached him. A whirlwind then rose up from the ground and enveloped the demon. Ian ran forward and leapt into the whirlwind, transporting with the demon to the top of the volcano. 

Katie stepped out of Nathan's car and looked around. The beetle was parked near the trees. She started to walk to it when her head erupted in pain. Ian was in trouble! 

"AAAHH!!!" Ian cried as he was blasted to the ground from an attack. 

"You are weak. And scared to use your powers." 

Ian stood up. "Oh yeah?" He threw up his hands and his opponent's arm exploded! "Damn! I was hoping that all of you would go poof." 

The demon shook off the pain and stood straight. "I don't poof." With his remaining hand he sent a massive wind against Ian, knocking him back... and into the volcano! The demon then began his ritual. The ground shook and heat seethed from the cracks in the ground. Lava began to rise from the depths of the volcano. 

Just then, Katie orbed in. "Stop!" she yelled. The demon turned and held up his hand. But Katie was too fast. She swung her arm, using her power to send the demon flying into the open gap of the volcano. He vaporized the second he hit the rising lava. With the ritual unfinished the ground stopped shaking. The heat cooled. And the lava sunk back down. Katie looked around. "Ian?! Ian, where are you?!" 

"Over here!" came the call. Katie ran over to the gaping hole and looked down. There was Ian. Hanging on with all his might. "Didn't I say not to use your powers?" 

"Oh shut up," Katie said, helping her brother up. "Why didn't you tell me about this?" 

"I didn't want to ruin our vacation." 

"Well you almost got yourself killed." 

Ian shrugged. "Meh. I could have handled it." 

Katie hit Ian lightly. "Yeah, right. Let's get out of here." She took Ian by the arm and orbed them out. 

~*~*~

"I'm sorry Nathan. There are just some things about me you can't know. Not yet." Katie and Nathan sat on the beach. It was Thursday now and the sun was setting. 

"That's okay. I like mysterious women." 

Katie laughed and laid back on the sand. "I have to go back soon." 

"I know. I am going to miss you." 

"Well maybe you can come visit me in New York some time. Even though it is half way across the world." 

"Nothing will keep us apart for long." Katie sat up and the two embraced as the sun set on the horizon. 

~*~*~

Saturday. They were at the airport and Katie had just said goodbye to Nathan. But right before they boarded, Katie stopped. "I can't do it." 

Ian turned around. "What?" 

"I have finally found someone wonderful..... Someone who makes me so happy. I love Nathan. And I am sick of all the demon fighting." 

"Katie, what are you saying?" 

Katie looked up at her brother. "I'm not going back......"   
  
**_To Be Continued..._**


	16. The Return

**A/N: Ian totally wrote this. Actually, he had to, because most of it is him, obviously.**

"Die!" The large, red eyed, demon grabbed Ian and lifted him up off the ground. Ian struggled, but cold not break free. "This is for my brother!" 

"Your brother?" 

"Yes!" the demon yelled. He then threw Ian into the wall, smashing several picture frames. Ian fell to the floor and groaned. "My name is Raul. You killed my brother. You must pay!" 

Ian stumbled to his feet. He wished so much for Katie to be there. But she had stayed with Nate in Hawaii. Ian jumped out of the way as red hot beams lashed out from Raul's eyes. With quick speed he launched himself over the couch and landed a kick to the demon's chest, making him fall back and knock a lamp to the floor. Ian then used his power to blast Raul out of existence. 

"I don't even remember his brother. But hey, all demons look the same." Ian sighed. He was talking to himself again. It was so weird not having Katie there. Ian had been home for only a few days and things were already breaking down. The club wasn't finished and so there was no money coming in. Ian had to find a job fast. He had made some calls, but got nothing. 

After cleaning up Ian went into the kitchen and opened the paper to the job section. Scanning down the page he suddenly stopped. A smile spread across his face. 

The Ad read: _WANTED-- Writer with a four year bachelors degree for new column in The Central newspaper. _

Ian wrote down the number and went to grab the phone. He had always loved writing and thought this could be his big break. "Hello," he said when someone had answered. "My name is Ian King and I am calling about the job opening.... Yes I have a four year bachelors degree.... I do have writing experience. I love to write.... My current job? I don't have one. I own a club, but it burned down. It is being rebuilt though... Thank you. Yes... Yeah, I'll be there. Thank you so much. Bye." Ian hung up the phone and wrote down a time and an address. He had an interview set for the next day! 

~*~*~

Later that night Ian was up in the attic with the Book Of Shadows open before him. "Magic forces black and white, reaching out through space and light. Be she far or be she near, bring my sister Katie here." There was a flash of light and Katie stood in the center of the room. 

"What the... IAN! What did you do?!" Katie crossed her arms and glared at her brother. She was dressed in a long red skirt and black strapless top. Her hair was up in a braided bun and her lipstick sparkled. 

Ian closed the sacred book. "I brought you here with a spell," he said calmly. He knew that Katie was angry, but he needed to talk to her. 

Katie sighed. "Why? I was busy getting ready for a date with Nate tonight. We are going on a moonlight picnic. So spill the beans. Why did you bring me here?" 

"Because I need you! You have to be here to help me fight evil." There was no more calmness in Ian's voice. His hands shook so he clenched them into fists. 

"I'm tired of fighting," Katie whispered. 

Ian pushed a hand through his hair. "Katie, I am too. But this is our destiny." 

_"No it isn't!"_ Katie screamed. Her eyes began to well up with tears and her voice shook when she spoke again. "I have a right to choose my own future. And I choose to stay with Nathan. Away from demons, away from magic, away from everything!" Katie then orbed out in a flash of blue light.   
  


~*~*~

Morning. Ian had eaten breakfast and was currently gathering together things that he had written to bring to the interview. The night before Ian had realized that Katie might not be coming back. He was alone an he would just have to deal with it. 

"Okay, I have everything I need." Grabbing his keys, Ian went out to his car and got in.   
He arrived at The Central news bureau at about ten o'clock. Ian parked his car and quickly made his way inside. 

The building was very luxurious. There was a marble floor and gleaming chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Ian walked over to the receptionist and asked, "Where do I go for the job interviews?" 

"Up the stairs and to the left," she said cheerfully. 

Ian thanked her and went up the large staircase. At the top he turned left and saw a small group of people standing around an office door. There was a sign on it that said Interviews. 

Ian walked over to the group and nodded to the others. One woman smiled at him. She had beautiful brown eyes and wonderful wavy brunette hair. Ian smiled back and then stuck out his hand. "I'm Ian King." 

The woman took his hand and shook it. "Allison Morr. So you are here for the job also, huh?" 

"Yep. Only one of us can get the job though." 

"True. May the best writer win." 

Ian nodded and then turned as the door opened. A sullen looking man came out and brushed past the group. "Ian King!" someone yelled from inside the room. 

"Good luck," Allison said. 

Ian walked into the room and closed the door behind him. A rather large man sat behind the desk. He had glasses, which hid the color of his eyes, and a scruffy beard grew on his pale face. "Please sit down Mr. King," said the man, pointing to the guest seat. Ian sat. "My name is Derek Weimer. If you get this job I will be your boss. Now down to business. First of all, do you like writing?" 

"Yes, I love to write. It was all I used to do as a kid." 

Mr. Weimer nodded. "Good. May I see your resume?" 

Ian took his resume out of the folder that he held and set it down on the desk. Mr. Weimer picked it up and read it thoroughly. 

"Well you seem to have what we are looking for. Yet I don't know if you can really write..." 

"Oh I brought some of my previous work with me." Ian quickly handed Derek the folder. The editor skimmed through them and then looked up a few minutes later. 

"These are good. These are very good. I will have to go through the other interviewees to see if you are the most qualified, but I say that you have got a good chance. I'll give you a call tomorrow morning." 

"Thank you." Ian shook Mr. Weimer's hand, picked up his things, and left the room with Derek's voice blaring after him. 

"NEXT!" 

~*~*~

Ian had waited for Allison and had asked her out for brunch. "I've never had brunch," Allison said as she sat down at their table. 

"Well it's not quite breakfast and it's not quite lunch. But it comes with a slice of cantaloupe at the end." Ian smiled. "I got that off--" 

"The Simpsons," Allison said, laughing. 

"You watch that show?" 

"Yeah, it's my favorite!" 

"Really? Mine too." Ian's smile faded. He and Katie used to watch The Simpsons together. They would laugh and forget about fighting demons and saving the world. But now Katie was gone. She didn't want to come back. Ian half wished that he could just go off and live in Hawaii as well. But he knew what was right. He had to stay here and make a living. He had to fight for the side of good, with or without his sister. 

"Ian? Are you okay?" 

Ian looked up. "Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking to myself about things.... Ah, here's our food." 

The waitress set the plates down on the table. "Would you like some more coffee?" she asked. 

"Yes, please," Allison said. Ian nodded in agreement. The waitress poured the coffee and then walked away. "So," Allison said, "are you unemployed, or do you have another job?" 

Ian set down his fork and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "Well I actually own a club named King's Corner. Yet it burned down... We are rebuilding though." 

"Oh I knew I had heard your name before! I love going to that club. And when I saw in the paper that it had burned down I was devastated. How soon will it be rebuilt?" 

"A month or so. I have been making several calls to try and find someone to play for the reopening. No luck yet." 

There was suddenly a beeping sound coming from Allison's purse. She pulled out a pager and looked at it. "I gotta go. I'm sorry, but I have to take this." 

Ian nodded. "It's fine. I have to leave suddenly a lot as well." Allison smiled and then yelled out, "Check, please!" 

~*~*~

In a dank and dark warehouse next to the docks a Warlock was holding a meeting with an army. "Yes, my friends. I have returned! You thought I gone... that those witches had vanquished me. But no! I live! And I have gathered you together to recreate our army. Together we will rule the Underworld! All will fear us! They will fear the Rat Army and its leader. And everyone will tremble when they hear the name... Maragoth!"   
Cheers rose up from the crowd and the rat demons turned and blasted out of the warehouse with amazing speed. Maragoth smiled. "I will have my revenge."   
  


~*~*~

  
_Ring ring!_ Ian bolted up in bed. The sun shined through his window and cast a golden glow across the room. Glancing at the clock he saw that it was eleven in the morning.   
_Ring ring!_ Ian grabbed the phone off his bedside table and answered it. "Hello?" 

"Good morning Mr. King. This is Derek Weimer, and I have good news." 

Ian leaned back against the head board, a smile creeping onto his face. "I got the job?" 

"Yes, but there have been some changes." 

Ian frowned. "What type of changes?" 

"Well we editors have decided to make this a partner column. People will send in questions on topics and you and your partner will voice your opinions in the column." 

"If I may ask... Why did you change it?" 

"Because you two were both just so good that we wanted to have you both in the company." 

Ian nodded slowly. He had been hoping that this would be something that was his and his alone. He hadn't thought that he would have to "share" the column. But nothing is ever perfect. And maybe he would become good friends with this person. "So who is my partner?" he asked. 

"A woman named Allison Morr." 

Ian's eyes lit up at this news. All the feelings of having to share the column with someone else faded away. If it was Allison then everything would be fine. He had already gotten to know her a little. And they seemed to like the same things. Plus, Ian had to admit, he had a little feeling of attraction to Allison. "We do we start?" Ian asked, his voice light and joyful. 

"You can come in today and get settled. Tomorrow the letters start rolling in." 

"Okay, I'll be there in an hour." Ian then hung up and jumped off his bed, feeling giddy. He had a new job and he would be working with someone he liked. And for the time being, Ian had forgotten about the pain of Katie not being there. 

~*~*~

"Looks like the best writers won," Allison said as Ian walked into their office. There were two desks set facing each other in the center of the room. Allison had already decorated hers with pictures, plants, and one of those little bobble heads. 

"Or maybe they just felt bad for you and gave you the job," Ian said, joking. 

"I knew you were evil. You are the devil." 

Ian smiled and then sat down at his desk. "Wow. This is a great chair. So comfy." 

"They have to give us good chairs. We are going to be sitting in them all day." Allison sat in her chair and bounced up and down. "Oh I love this!"

Ian laughed. "Well I am going to go get some things from my car." 

Allison was now spinning around in her chair. "Have fun! Whoo!" 

~*~*~

In the enclosed parking lot Ian was walking to his car when he heard a scream. "Help! Someone please help me!" 

Ian ran towards the shouts and saw a woman being attacked by a man with a knife. "Hey!" Ian yelled. He grabbed the guy's arm. 

"What the?? Who the hell are you?!" 

"No one you're gonna like." Ian twisted the arm and karate chopped it. There was a crunch and the man cried out in pain. The knife dropped to the ground. Ian let go of the arm and gave a strong kick to the guy's chest, knocking him back in to a red van. 

"Look out!" came the woman's cry. 

Ian turned around just in time to see a fist come speeding at him. WHAM! Ian reeled. He tasted blood in his mouth. 

Another man, larger than the first, stood over Ian. He was dressed in full black leather and had on dark sun glasses. "Pretty boys should stay in their office and out of other people's business." 

Ian wiped the blood from his lips and stood up. "Pretty? When I am through with you, you won't be saying that again." 

The man smirked. "And when I am through with you, you won't be saying anything at all." He then reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun! "Say bye-bye..." _BANG!_

Ian shut his eyes and waited for the bullet to hit. ... Yet nothing happened. Opening his eyes Ian saw the bullet suspended right in front of his face; frozen. "Katie?" Ian turned around. "Allison?!" There Allison stood, her face holding a stunned expression. 

"You're not frozen. Why didn't you freeze?" 

"Wait a minute... you're a witch?" 

Allison gazed at him, her stunned look not relaxing a bit. "What? How did you--" 

Ian held up his hand. "Male witch here!" 

"I didn't... I... Uh..." Allison was stuttering. She seemed to have no idea what to say. 

"How about we take care of this first," Ian said, nodding to the frozen scene. "Then we can go and talk." Allison just nodded. Ian went over to the man and took his gun, setting it on the ground. He went back to his spot and flicked the bullet out of the air. "Okay, unfreeze it," Ian said. 

Allison waved her hands and time unfroze. "What the hell?!" the man yelled in surprise. 

"Oh... you dropped your gun. So sad." Ian spun and gave a roundhouse kick to the man's head. He fell to the ground in a heap and laid there on the cold cement, unconscious. Ian went over to the woman who had been attacked. "Are you okay?" he asked her. She nodded, but was shaking slightly. "Okay, you go call the police. We will watch over these creeps until they get here." 

The woman nodded again and then walked away briskly to look for a pay phone. 

~*~*~

  
"... So now my sister is in Hawaii and I am here fighting demons on my own." Ian and Allison sat in the kitchen at the manor, drinking coffee. For the past several hours they had each been telling their stories of what had happened to them in their lives as witches. 

"Wow, you have been through a lot and you just got your powers this year." 

Ian nodded. "Yeah, well when you kill as many demons as we have you become a pretty big blip on their radar." 

"I am just amazed that you already have three powers. I have been a witch my whole life and I only have two." 

Ian raised his eyebrows. "Oh? What's the other one?" 

"Glamoring. I can change my appearance for a short amount of time. 

Ian took a sip of his coffee. "Wow. That must come in handy." 

"Yes, but I just got it recently. I can't always use it when I want to and it is hard to control. And it is REALLY hard to do men. The voice, complexion, .... and that other thing." 

Ian held up his hand. "Okay, I get the picture." 

There was a soft meow and Davey jumped up onto the table. "Oh hi kitty!" Allison picked Davey up and set him on her lap. 

"Ah, so he comes out of hiding," Ian said with a sly smile. "Davey usually doesn't like strangers." 

"What a great name. Davey... so cute." Davey began to purr. 

"Well he seems to like--" At that moment a rat demon appeared in the room. 

"Oh!" Allison cried. Davey hissed and then ran out of the kitchen. 

The demon threw an acid sphere, but Ian jumped out of the way. Ian waved his hands sharply and the demon exploded. "What the hell was that? I thought I had made a lasting impression on them." 

"Which was?" 

"To stay away or I would blow them to pieces." 

"Well you certainly lived up to that with this one." 

"Yeah, well. It's what I do." 

Allison smiled and then looked at her watch. "It's getting late and tomorrow we begin our new job. So I'll see you at the office." 

"Okay, bye." 

"Bye." 

~*~*~

"He failed? He failed to kill the witches?!" 

"He went off the radar almost immediately. I am assuming that the male destroyed him with his power." 

Maragoth turned around to look at his right-hand man. "Then we need to send more. I want my revenge!" 

"Yes, my lord." The rat demon bowed, yet stayed where he was. 

"Is there something else?" 

"Yes. You know that the Leaders are against this..." 

"Your former masters are nothing. I offered you all more. And you chose me. They just want all the power for themselves." 

"But sir... they have gained more allies. And we have lost some. After we thought you were gone, many of us went back to the Leaders. And not all of us came back when you returned. We might have a war on our hands very soon. And then many more will leave our side." 

"We are about to take over the Underworld. There is going to be a war anyways." 

The rat demon sighed. "We just need to be more careful." 

"Don't worry... we will win this. And you will be very powerful along side me. Now, carry out my orders." 

The demon bowed again and then ran out of the warehouse. 

~*~*~

The door to Ian and Allison's office opened and Derek came in. "The first letters have arrived! Now you two pick one and begin to write your views. I want to see you people writing up a storm." Derek set the box of letters down and then left.

Ian took one out and opened it. "Dear Ian and Allison, I have heard that french fries are now called Freedom Fries. People that I have asked say they don't know who started this, but that this happened because France is not helping us in the war against Iraq. My children have told me that their school is supporting all this. What do you think of this subject? - Mandy Abster." 

Ian looked across the desk at Allison. "How about we start with this one?" 

"Sounds good to me." 

"Good, because I have heard of this and now I can get in my opinion on it." 

~*~*~

Ian didn't get home until late that night. The manor was dark. Ian flipped a light switch but nothing happened. There was a noise behind him and Ian spun around. But there was nothing there. "Why do I feel like I am in a horror movie?" Ian asked himself. Walking blindly into the living room, Ian began to search for the lamp. _Creeeak__...._ "Okay, Davey, that better be you!" The lamp clicked on and there stood six rat demons. "Well now I know it wasn't Davey..." The demons laughed and then the biggest one conjured an acid sphere. "Alright, okay, how about we talk about this?" 

"Oh we don't think so," said the one with the sphere in his hand. A second later he threw it with all his might. 

Levitating up, Ian was able to avoid the attack. Once he landed there was a series of blurs and he was surrounded. "Uh oh." _Wham!_ Ian reeled back as he was hit in the face. Wham! He was knocked to the floor. 

Ian groaned and looked up to see one of the demons standing over him with an acid sphere in hand. Ian threw up his hand and the demon exploded. Then he spun around and kicked out with his legs. **Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!** They were all on the floor. Ian leapt to his feet and then levitated up and over to the other side of the room, taking shelter behind the couch. 

Just as he took cover an acid sphere flew over him and hit the wall. "Two can play at that game." Ian stood up and thrust out his hands. _Boom!_ Four left. 

Ducking behind the couch again, Ian took a moment to catch his breath. _What are they doing here?_ he thought. _This is no coincidence. They must want revenge._

There was a gust of wind and the seemingly lead rat demon now stood a foot away. "Death has come for you," he said. 

"I think it is the other way around," Ian retorted, then blasted his foe into nothingness. "Okay!" Ian called. "You see that you can't stop me! So why don't you just give up?" There was the sound of more super speed. Ian peeked over the couch to see that the room was empty. "Wow... it worked." 

~*~*~

"You all failed me again!" The remaining rat demons from the attack on Ian hung their heads in shame. Maragoth stood before them, his eyes bulging with anger. "Fine... I will just have to do this myself." 

Maragoth then blinked out, and then reappeared in the foyer of the manor. He looked around and smiled. "What a nice place..." He slowly made his way up the stairs and went into Ian's room. There Ian slept in his bed, with no idea of what was about to happen. Maragoth pulled out an athame. "Time to die... wait. Why kill one when I can use this one to get the other as well?" 

Maragoth conjured a piece of paper and magically wrote on it. He then put it up against the door and stabbed his athame into the top of the note. Turning to Ian, Maragoth grabbed his arm and transported them both back to the warehouse.   
  


~*~*~

"Hello?" Allison called after ringing the doorbell of the manor for the third time. It was a little after noon and Ian had never shown up for work. She tried the handle and it turned; the door was unlocked. Allison made her way inside and called out again. "Ian?! Are you here?!" The house was silent. She glanced into the living room to see overturned chairs and several scorch marks. "Oh no!" 

Allison searched the main floor of the house and then ran up the stairs. She stopped when she saw the note stabbed into Ian's door. Allison walked slowly to the door and then read the note. After a moment she gasped and clapped her hand to her mouth. The note was addressed to Ian's sister, Katie. Ian had been taken by someone named Maragoth. And if Katie ever wanted to see her brother again she would go to the warehouse at 10 pm. Warehouse was underlined. "Okay, Ian has been kidnapped and his sister is in Hawaii. Just great." 

~*~*~

Ian opened his eyes and rubbed his head. The last thing he remembered was being transported out of his room and then being hit over the head. His vision was blurred, so he blinked a few times to clear it. "Great. I am in a cage." There was a noise and someone came into view. He had black hair and wore a long trench coat. "Maragoth!" 

"The one and only." 

"But... we vanquished you." 

"You came close, I must give you that." 

"And now you are back and you want revenge?" 

"You got it." Maragoth smiled. "And when your sister gets my note and then arrives at our lovely warehouse, I will kill you both." Ian snorted. "Something funny, witch?"

Ian held back a smile and looked Maragoth in the eye. "No, nothing at all."   
  


~*~*~

Allison sat in her apartment, vigorously flipping through various spell books. She stopped on one page and let out a whoop of triumph. Allison set the book down on the coffee table next to several items that she had accumulated for the spell she was going to use.

She began her chant, and while she spoke, Allison picked up the items one by one and put them into a bowl that was in a circle of lighted candles. Before she dropped in the last item, which was a strand of  Katie's hair that Allison had gotten off a hairbrush in the King bathroom, she lit a match and dropped it into the bowl. Smoke curled up and the smell of several herbs and spices was strong. As Allison came to the end of her chant, she took the strand of hair, let it fall into the bowl, and then blew out the candles. 

At first nothing happened. But then a breeze went through the apartment and a swirl of white lights appeared in the center of the room. After a moment the lights took the form of a human figure. "Ian, I told you to let me be! Now--" Katie stopped her rant when she realized she was not in the manor. 

Allison stood up and quickly told Katie who she was and what was going on. 

"Wait, hold up," Katie said when Allison had finished. "Maragoth is back and he has Ian back at his old lair?" 

"Yes," Allison said, nodding. 

"And you are a witch that works with Ian at a job he just got?" 

"You've got it," Allison said, nodding again. "We have to hurry. The note said to be there by ten. It's almost nine-thirty. If we don't make it there in time... Ian could die." 

"Okay then. Let's get moving." 

  
~*~*~

Katie stood with Allison on the roof of the warehouse. They looked down into the dim room through a sun window. The sun was down so they had to squint. "I see Ian," Katie said with relief. "He seems okay." 

Allison nodded. "Alright, here's the plan." 

Katie glanced at her. "That's what Ian always does. Takes charge and has a plan ready and waiting." 

"I guess we are just a lot alike. Now, I have had my temporal stasis power since I was little. So it is a lot stronger than yours." 

On their way to the warehouse Allison had told Katie of her powers. Katie hadn't been too happy when she found out that Allison also had the power to freeze, but she had kept it to herself. 

"So I will freeze the place and then we go from there." 

"Then let's go." 

Allison nodded and then directed her power down into the room. Everyone and everything stopped moving, with the exception of Ian. Katie took Allison's arm and orbed them down to stand next to Ian's cage. 

"Katie! Allison! What are you doing here?" Ian asked in surprise. 

"We are here to rescue you, of course," Katie answered, rolling her eyes. 

"Okay, then get me out of here." 

"No, wait!" Allison said. "I have an idea." 

"Which is what?" Katie asked, glaring at Allison. "Why don't we just get my brother out of here." She grabbed the bars and an electric jolt went through her, knocking her to the dirty floor. 

"That's why," Allison said. "I knew that it would be guarded. Now, just go with me." She went and took some rope that sat on a large crate and then started to tie up the frozen Maragoth. "Okay," she said when she was done, "Orb him up to the roof. He should stay frozen for awhile. And you stay there." 

Katie glared again. "I don't take orders from you." 

"Kate." Katie looked at her brother. "Just do it." 

"Fine." Katie grabbed a hold of Maragoth's arm and then orbed up to the roof. 

"So what are you going to do?" Ian asked. 

"This." Allison's voice was changed. Then her hair shortened and changed color. Her clothes became leather and a long trench coat. She had morphed into Maragoth. Standing where the warlock had stood, Allison flexed her fingers and the room unfroze. "It's ten o'clock. This witch's sister is not here. I say we take him out of that cage and torture him until she does come." She glanced at the rat demons. "Now!" 

"Yes, my lord," one said. He then moved forward and began to unlock the cage. Just as he started to open it there was a shrill scream and the window above imploded as Katie fell through it. She landed hard on a crate, smashing it. 

Maragoth then blinked in, right next to the disguised Allison. "Thought you could trick me, did you?" He then grabbed her and threw her across the room. As Allison hit the floor she suddenly changed back. "Kill them!" Maragoth yelled. "Kill them all!" 

The demon next to Ian's cage turned to close it, but he was vaporized and Ian stepped out and started towards Maragoth. "Just to let you know... I don't like being cooped up." 

"I'll try to remember that." The two then began to fight, hand to hand, fist to fist. Ian swung and the warlock grabbed his arm and flipped him onto his back. Maragoth then pulled out an athame and brought down. Yet before he could slice into Ian, he was flung from his feet and launched across the warehouse, slamming into the concrete wall. Maragoth looked up to see what had happened and saw Katie standing there with her arm held up. 

"Don't ever mess with my brother." 

Maragoth stood and began to stride closer to Katie. "And you think you can stop me?" 

"Oh yeah." Fire burst from the warlock's hand and Katie brought up hers, deflecting the blast and sending it into a stack of crates, setting them on fire. 

Havoc then ensued. Rat demons zoomed around, Katie helped up her brother, and they began to fight. Acid spheres flew, demons were blown to pieces, and Maragoth stood watching it all. "You can't win," he whispered. "I am destined to be the leader of the Underworld. I am destined to kill all the good in the world. I am destined to--" 

_Whack! _

Maragoth fell to the floor and Allison dropped the pipe she had used to hit him with. "Had to shut him up." She glanced around. The flames were spreading, setting the whole building ablaze. "Ian! Kate! We have to get out of here!" 

They headed for the door and burst out into the cold night air. The rat demons that had not been vanquished sped out as well and went to hide back in the sewers. 

Ian, Katie, and Allison dropped to the ground in exhaustion and looked back at the warehouse. The whole thing was in flames and large clouds of smoke billowed up into the starry sky. "Well at least Maragoth is gone for good this time," Ian said. 

"You sure about that?" Katie pointed. 

Maragoth came tearing out of the warehouse. He was on fire, screaming in a mad rage. "You witches! You have not won! If it takes a hundred years, I will have my revenge!" The flames then consumed him and his body combusted, leaving nothing but a scorch mark on the ground. 

"NOW he is gone for good," Ian said, standing up. 

"Amen to that." Katie stood as well and then sighed. 

"What's wrong?" Ian asked. 

"I only came here to save you. Actually, I didn't even come, I was brought here. What I said before still stands. I am through with this life and I am staying in Hawaii." Her body then dissipated into a flurry of blue lights and she orbed out. 

Ian sank back down to the ground and put his face in his hands. "I really thought she would stay," he said. 

Allison put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. It will be okay. But she needs to lead her own life." She pulled Ian's face out of his hands and looked into his eyes. "And you need to lead yours." 

Ian nodded slowly. "I guess you're right. It's just that for almost the past year... we became closer than we ever had before. We had a bond that nothing could break. But I guess it could be broken." He stood up. "I really thought I would be the one to think the way she does now. I never even wanted to have these powers before. She was the one who convinced me to accept it all. And now she is throwing it away... trying to lead a normal life." 

"Well that is her choice. She has decided where she wants to be. And you have to understand it. See it from her point of view." 

Ian chuckled lightly. "You know, you should really be in the advice column department instead of being stuck with me." 

"Well I tried, but there were no openings. Now come on. Let's get out of here." 

**A month later.....**

Katie sat on Nate's large bed, staring down at a picture of her and Ian. It had been taken just recently after then had gotten their powers. "We had no idea what we were getting into..." She sighed and put the picture down on the bedside table as Nate came in. She smiled when she saw him. "Hey." 

"Hi... Katie, we need to talk." He came over and sat down next to her on the bed. 

"Uh oh... am I in trouble?" Katie said, jokingly. 

Nathan shook his head. "No, it's just... ever since you decided to stay here you have been distant. I know that you miss your home and miss your brother. I always catch you looking at pictures of the two of you and I know that deep down in your heart... you really don't want to be here." 

"Nate, that's not true. I love you and I want to be with you." 

Nate took Katie's hands in his. "I know you do. But you don't belong here. You said before that you had responsibilities that you could not dismiss. Did you just throw those all away?" 

"They don't matter to me anymore." 

"Oh really? I don't think so. I can see it in your eyes... you long to go home. And I think that if you don't... you will destroy yourself." 

Tears filled Katie's eyes and she put her head on Nate's shoulder. "You're right. I do long to be home. But I don't want to leave you." 

"Hey, don't worry. We will see each other again. You can come visit here... and I could come see you at your place. But all you have to know is that this relationship is not over. I love you too much to let that happen." 

Katie looked up, her face now wet. "I love you too." 

~*~*~

Ian moved into the kitchen and sat down at the table, sipping from his mug of coffee. He was inspecting a flyer for the Grand Re-Opening of his club. The place had been finished being rebuilt and he had gotten Avril Lavinge to play. It was all going to happen that weekend. "Too bad Katie won't be here to see it all." 

"Oh yeah I will." 

Ian spun around in his chair to see Katie standing there, luggage in hand. "Kate! You're back!" 

"And here to stay." She dropped her bags and gave Ian a hug as he stood up. "Did you miss me?" Ian hugged her really tight, squeezing the breath out of her. "I guess so! Ian, let go." 

He did so. "Sorry. I'm just.... Why did you decide to come back?" 

"Someone got me to realize that I wasn't happy where I was. That I belong here. And now I know that I do." 

Ian smiled. "It's good to have you back. Though I was managing without you..." 

"Oh really?" 

"Yep. The club was finished, and I have this other great job writing a column with Allison." 

"I know. I had The Central mail me the newspaper every week. You two write some good stuff." 

"Thanks." Ian then just stood there for a minute, smiling. 

"Well are you going to help me with my stuff or what?!" 

"Oh, right!" They then both grabbed some bags and headed up the stairs, talking and laughing like they always had before. They were brother and sister. And they had a bond that could not be broken.


	17. The Gremlin and The Grimlock

**A/N: We wrote this waaaaaaay back when... So its not as good as it could've been NOW, but yeah. Hope you like.**

It was a slow night at the club, since there was a large storm going on and most people just decided to stay home. So Ian decided to close up early. After locking the main door Ian went over to the cash register and started to take that nights earnings out. Then he saw something crawling across the floor. 

It was a small creature. It looked up and saw Ian staring at it. "RAAAHHHWW!" it screamed. Then it leapt up onto the bar. It was hairy and had sharp claws and fangs. Ian jumped back as it came towards him. The creature reached the register and eyed it for a moment. Then it reached out with its clawed hand and tapped the machine. Instantly the register went crazy. Beeping, clanging, and the drawer opened and closed again and again and again.

Ian made a grab for the creature, but it jumped back and bared its fangs. It screamed loudly again and then ran off. The creature was gone. "What the hell was that?" Ian whispered to himself. Ian turned back to the register. He whacked the top of it with his hand and after a moment it stopped. Ian then had to reset it, finish taking out the money, and then put it all in the safe in his office. Ian then drove through the storm towards home.   


~*~*~   
  


It was about eleven when Katie walked into the kitchen for a late night snack. She hadn't been sleeping very well since she had returned home. She missed Nate. But she also knew that she wanted to be at home even more. And it was also her duty to be there.   
Just as she was gonna open the fridge, she heard the front door open. "Home already? It's only eleven!" she said, sticking her head out of the kitchen. 

"It was a slow night," Ian replied. Then he began to make his way up to the attic so he could check the BOS on what he had seen. 

"Okay then." Katie went back to the fridge and pulled out an apple. Then she followed Ian up to the attic. "What ya doin'?" she asked as she sat down on the couch. 

Ian was flipping through the BOS as Katie sat down. "Well I was kinda attacked by this creature as I was cleaning out the cash register. I was hoping there would be something on it in here." 

"What kind of creature?" 

Ian stopped turning the pages and thought for a moment. "It was small..... kinda hairy. And it had claws and fangs. And it touched the cash register and made it go crazy." Ian shook his head and then started to flip the pages again. 

"...Right." 

Ian stopped on one page. The creature that had been at the club was on it with a short description on the side. "Gremlin: A spirit or demon that causes failure in mechanical devices. That's all it says but there's a footnote at the bottom. Fuller explanation in Geddes Encyclopedia of the Supernatural." Ian looked up at Katie. "Do we have that somewhere?" 

"Uh..." Katie tried to remember where she saw it. "Is it in the basement?" 

"Could be. Maybe it's in one of the boxes down there." Ian set the Book aside and the two went down to the basement. They started rummaging through boxes. After a few minutes Ian took out a very dusty book and wiped it with his hand. He looked at the title and then said, "I found it!" 

"Okay. What's it say?" Katie came to stand in front of Ian. 

"Let's go read it upstairs. This basement air is so stale." Ian walked up the stairway with Katie right behind him. They went into the kitchen and sat down at the small table. "Let's see..." Ian opened the book and looked in the table of contents for the section on Gremlins. "Gremlins. An imp or spirit responsible for breaking or sabotaging machines. Most notorious through the stories of World War II pilots who superstitiously blamed breakdowns and mechanical failures in their planes, on the creatures, together with the disappearance of objects. Many pilots reported seeing a small figure near a vital system of their craft just prior to it developing a fault during flight. These reports were invariably dismissed as hallucinations due to pressure. While almost certainly supernatural, opinions differ as to their magical abilities. Some authorities hold that gremlins have no powers, merely being saboteurs; their ability to survive the extreme conditions outside an aero plane in flight, simply a feature of the creature's physiology. Other's argue that this ability is a magical power, and indeed that they use magic to achieve their depredations upon machinery. 

"Gremlins have also been said to be able to influence magic in a negative fashion. The ability is not truly a power. Rather it is an ambient energy field surrounding its possessor that has the effect of subverting any other type of energy that comes into contact with it. Thus mechanical equipment in the gremlin's vicinity will be prone to seemingly strange and inexplicable failures. Magical powers used in their presence will be subject to negation or will instead affect the caster." Ian stopped reading. "Then it goes on about some of the history of Gremlins." 

"Great. So whenever we're around one, our magic goes haywire and our machine stuff goes weird," Katie said. 

Ian nodded. "Yep. I just hope it decides to go on its way and not hang around." The lights flickered for a second and then the whole house went dark. "....Uh oh. Must be from the storm." Ian couldn't see a thing. And the only sound was that of the rain pounding on the roof. 

"Oh great," Katie said sarcastically. She went in search of a flashlight. It was in one of the kitchen drawers. "Ah, here we go." She turned it on, but nothing happened. "...Flashlight's dead too." 

Ian groaned. "Just great....." Then there was the sound of hissing laughter. "And the Gremlin is here. Wonderful. It must have hitched a ride home on my car." There was a flash of lightning that lit up the house for a second. Long enough for Ian to see the Gremlin sitting on the table, right in front of him. "Oh god!" Ian pushed back in his chair and jumped up. But the room was dark again and he couldn't see where the Gremlin was anymore. 

"Oh god what?" Katie was looking through the cabinets for matches and didn't see anything. 

"Nothing. Just that this Gremlin is in the room and trying to give me a heart attack." More laughter ensued. "Okay. We need light and we need it now. I can't see a thing." There was another flash of lightning and the shadow of the Gremlin running about could be seen. 

"I found the matches." Katie struck the match against the box and it lit up. "Where are the candles?" she asked Ian while throwing him the box of matches. 

"They are in the bottom drawer behind you." 

Katie got out the candles and lit one with the match. She blew out the match and turned back to Ian, handing him the candle. "Now isn't that better?" 

Ian nodded. "Ye- Oh, look out!" The Gremlin sat directly behind Kate on the counter. 

"...Huh?" Katie looked behind her. "Ack!" She jumped back 

"Freeze it!" Ian yelled, forgetting about what the Book had said on Gremlins effecting powers. Katie threw up her hands, then stopped moving. She had frozen herself. 

"Uh oh......" The Gremlin laughed like a maniac and then hopped off the counter and ran off through the house. Ian sighed and then grabbed some more candles and lit them up. He got out some stands for the candles and then set them on the center counter of the kitchen. 

About four minutes later Katie unfroze. She dropped her hands to her sides. The Gremlin wasn't there anymore. She looked behind her. Instead of being by the table, Ian was at the counter. And several more candles were lit up. "Uh... What happened?" 

"Well we both forgot that the Book had said that Gremlins effect powers. So you froze yourself." Ian then thought for a second and said, "I better not even try using my power. I might blow myself up." 

"That wouldn't be good," Katie agreed. "So, any idea where the Gremlin went?" 

There was a loud crash from upstairs. "I'll give you one guess. But it so seems like this Gremlin is no REAL harm. Just likes to have fun and play tricks. It hasn't actually attacked us." 

"I hate tricks. How do we get rid of it?" 

"I have no idea. Maybe it will just leave on it's own." There was another crash. "...Hopefully." 

"After it destroys everything in the house, probably!" 

Ian rubbed his face with his hands. He was pretty tired. "Okay.... I think the book said that the Gremlin's only effect active powers. Let's set up a little spell around our rooms to keep it out so we can sleep." 

"Okay. Do you happen to have any on hand?" Katie was awful at making spells. Often, she let Ian do that part of the work while she made the potions. 

Ian nodded. "Yeah. Come on." The two went upstairs, keeping an eye out for the Gremlin, and set the spells up around their rooms. They then went to sleep, both hoping that tomorrow the Gremlin would have left. 

~*~*~

Ian woke up the next morning. The manor was silent. He got up and changed and then opened the door. The hall was a mess. Trash strewn everywhere, broken vases, claw marks, and what looked like a smashed banana was on the floor. Ian sighed. "At least the spell worked and kept it out of my room." Ian made his way carefully down the hall and knocked on Katie's door. "Kate?" he called, "You awake?" 

"Five more minutes..." came the call from the other side of the door. Katie rolled on her stomach and put the pillow over her head. 

Ian opened the door and went over to Katie's bed. "Come on, get up. There is a festival today in the park and I want to go." Katie rolled over again. Ian took the pillow of Kate's head and hit her with it. 

"Alright!" she yelled. "Now get out so I can change!" 

"Okay okay. I'm going." Ian left the room. He then went down to the kitchen to fix some breakfast. "Oh my god!" Ian yelled when he entered the kitchen. The place was trashed. Boxes of cereal were opened and the contents were spilled all over the floor. Plates lay broken in several places. And a milk jug lay next to a very large milk puddle on the table. "That little.... thing! He is gonna get it!" 

Katie practically ran into the kitchen; dressed in jeans and a tank-top. "What? Where's the demon?" she asked hurriedly. 

"There is no demon. Just a very very very big mess." Ian grabbed a wash cloth and started to wipe up the milk. 

Katie looked at the kitchen. "...Oh." Then she started cleaning up the cereal, while using telekinesis to clean up the broken plates. 

They cleaned up the kitchen and the rest of the house. Then they looked for the Gremlin. He was no where in the house. "Good. I guess he got bored and left. Well we lost most of our food thanks to the Gremlin. Want to go grab something from a restaurant and then head to that festival?" 

"Sure." Katie grabbed her keys and walked out to her car with Ian following. "Which restaurant ya wanna go to?" she asked as she started up the car. 

Ian got into the passenger side while Kate got in the other and started up her car. "How about that one on 5th street? I've been there before. They have good food." 

"Okay. Next stop, the restaurant on 5th Street." Katie drove to the restaurant and they went into the building. 

They sat down and then ordered their food. Ian then turned to Kate. "This thing in the park should be good. I think there is gonna be some bands playing. I want to see if I can get some of them to play at King's Corner sometime. And since Allison is out of town this week, I decided to write a little special review on the festival." 

"Cool. And else is going to be happening there?" 

"Well there should be a lot of food." Ian saw Katie's eyes light up at this. "... And just a whole bunch of fun stuff. Games for kids, games for adults, and.... psychics. I think I am gonna check out how real they are." 

"Probably all fakes. Either that or they're really warlocks waiting for unsuspecting wi-watches." The waiter had just come with their food. 

Ian hid a smile and thanked the waiter. Taking a bite of his food Ian said, "Well I hope not. But we'll see. And after the festival we are going to find a way to make sure that Gre-" Ian stopped. He saw something small and furry running across the floor and then under a table. "... Uh oh." 

"Uh oh? What's uh oh?" Katie paused, the fork half-way to her mouth. A look of realization came over her face. "Don't tell me it came." 

"Oh I think it did. Quick, before it gets to close to us. Freeze the room." 

Katie opened her fist quickly, and the room froze. "Okay. So where is the damn little creature?" She got up from the table. There was a screech and the Gremlin blasted out from its hiding place and jumped up at Katie. Katie jumped to the side and avoided the Gremlin's attack. "Oh yeah. It just likes to play tricks and have fun!" 

Ian jumped up from the table as the Gremlin landed on it. "Well maybe this IS its idea of fun." The Gremlin picked up a spoon and threw it at Ian's head. "Ah!" Ian ducked. "Oh that is it!" Ian threw up his hands to blow the creature into the next century._ BAM!_ Ian felt a massive pain in his chest and he flew back and landed on the floor with a thud. "Oh... that REALLY hurt. Note to self. Don't try to blow up the Gremlin." Ian got to his feet, but stumbled. He reached out and grabbed something to stable himself. 

Ian took in a sharp breath as he got a premonition. He saw the park, and children playing. One child wandered off. Two large demons with pearl white skin appeared in front of the kid. One held out his hand and the kid's eyes started to glow. The vision ended. 

Ian opened his eyes and looked over at what he grabbed. It was an arm of a kid. And it was the one from Ian's vision! 

Katie looked over quickly to see Ian get a premonition. "There goes our plans." She ducked as the Gremlin threw a plate at her. "Hey! Now listen here..." But, of course, the Gremlin laughed shrilly and jumped off the table. He scampered across the floor and out the open door. "Dammit!" 

Ian came back over to Kate. "Okay, hurry. We have to clean up this little mess before they all unfreeze." Ian and Katie ran and picked up the things that the Gremlin had thrown. Then they got back into place, Katie picked up her fork with some food on it and put it half way to her mouth. The room unfroze. Ian let out a sigh of relief. "Okay.... I had a premonition of that kid over there," he indicated the child with a nod of his head, "getting attacked by two demons. Well.... kind of attacked. They made his eyes glow. But all I can tell is that it is bad. It always is." 

"Why can't you get anything happy when you get a premonition? Like, us having lots of money or something?" Katie grumbled as she put the fork back down on the plate. 

Day or night?" 

"Day. I think it was during the festival. There were other kids there playing, but that one wandered off." Ian saw the kid and his family get up to leave. "Oh, they're leaving. Come on we have to follow them." Ian looked around. "Waiter! Check please." 

A few minutes later they were out in the car heading towards the park. "Okay," Ian said, "it was near the playground. The kid headed off into the woods." 

Katie parked by the entrance and got out. Ian also got out and they went on into the park. There were people everywhere. Smells of greasy food and other aromas filled the air. 

Ian and Katie made their way through the crowd and kept walking. But then someone called out to them. "Wait! You!" Ian and Kate turned. There was a African woman in a long dress standing next to a small tent. She had many bead necklaces around her neck and a lot of other jewelry. 

"Excuse me?" Ian said. 

The woman came over to them. "You must stop here. Don't go any farther. Danger awaits in the woods." 

Ian frowned. "How did you-" 

"I am a seer. I know these things. And I also know that you have the gift. But please. If you go and save that child, the consequences could be vital." Ian stared at the woman. 

"Ian, come on," Katie said. 

Ian nodded. "Sorry, but we can't just leave that child there." The siblings then turned and ran down the pathway. They came to a playground. "There!" Ian pointed. The kid from his vision was heading off into the trees. Ian and Katie ran after him. They made their way through the patch of woods. Ian looked around and then ran a hand through his hair. "Where is he? I don't see him." 

Katie caught a slight movement to her left. "This way." She led the way through the bushes to a clearing. Two demons were with the kid, and his eyes were glowing. 

"Oh no! Kate, do something!" Ian yelled. 

Katie swung her arm sharply at the demons and they slammed into two trees. The kid, free from whatever the demons had him under, ran out of the woods. 

Ian ran forward as the demons got up. He kicked one in the chest and the demon fell back. Ian then turned and saw the other demon lunge at him. Ian was knocked back. The demon then grabbed him by the shirt and threw him across the clearing. "AH!" Ian landed hard on the ground and lay still. 

"Ian!" Katie used her telekinesis on the demon that had attacked Ian. He flew back into his partner who was just getting up. Kate then ran over to her brother. 

Ian groaned. "Oh, that hurt." He then saw the demons standing up again. They glared evilly at the two siblings and then disappeared. "Well," Ian said," that was fun." 

"You have a very odd idea of 'fun.'" Katie reached a hand down to help Ian up, and he took it. "You alright?" she asked, concerned. 

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little bruised. Now who the hell were they? And what were they doing to the kid?" Ian brushed some dirt off his jeans. 

"You know as much as I do." 

Ian sighed. "Okay. Let's get back to the manor. The festival will be here again tomorrow. So we find out who these guys are, vanquish their sorry asses, and then tomorrow we go stuff our faces with corn dogs." Ian started out of the woods and back into the main section of Central Park. 

Katie laughed. "Sounds like a perfect plan to me." 

~*~*~

They got back to the manor and began to head up the stairs to the attic. The two went in and Ian took the BOS off the pedestal and sat down on the couch. Kate sat next to him. "Okay..... now let's see." Ian began to flip through the pages. "Ah ha! Here we go. Grimlocks. More evil things that have a name that starts with G. Wonderful." Ian then read the description. "Grimlocks are white demons with whirling red eyes. Underground Demons who roam from city to city killing powerful forces of Good by seeing the unique Auras that surround them, which they are able to do by stealing the sight of innocent Children. The stolen eyesight will last twenty-four hours, but only if the children are alive. After the Children's use has waned, the Grimlocks consume them. Also, they can steal the sight of others, yet there is no benefit." Ian looked at Kate. "They don't sound too bad. They were strong, but it shouldn't be too hard to vanquish them." 

"Yep. I'm sure they won't be. Is there a spell in there?" 

"No. But there is a way to destroy them." Ian looked back at the Book and read. "To Destroy a Grimlock: Gather a Chisandra root and make a potion from it with which to blind the Grimlock. There are other ingredients here too." Ian pointed. "One Chisandra root, thyme, and some assorted herbs." 

"Okay then." Katie got up and walked down into the kitchen. She took out a pot, ingredients needed, and started to make the potion. 

Ian sat down at the counter with the BOS. "Well now, if I were a Grimlock, where would I be?" 

"Right here," said a voice behind Ian. Ian jumped up and spun around. There were the two Grimlocks, standing in the door way. Ian raised his hands to blow them up, but there was hissing laughter from nearby. Ian saw the Gremlin jump up on a chair, hissing and baring its fangs. 

"Oh no. I can't use my power." The Gremlin laughed again and then jumped away. One of the Grimlocks held up his hands. Blue light shot from them and hit Ian in the eyes. "AH! .....I.... I can't see!" The next thing Ian knew he was slammed back and to the floor. 

Katie jumped forward to help Ian, but was knocked back to the floor by the Grimlocks. Her arm hit the potion pot, and it hit the floor, spilling the contents everywhere. "Why you son of b-" The Grimlocks just laughed and disappeared. Katie sighed angrily and went over to Ian. "You okay?" she asked as she knelt next to him. "Got hit pretty hard there." 

"I can't see." Ian's eyes were a cloudy white. "Are the Grimlocks gone?" Katie nodded without answering. "Hello? Answer me please." Ian tried to get up. "Okay.... where is something I can hold onto?" 

"Oh, sorry." Katie stood up then helped up Ian. "Yeah, they're gone." 

"Alright. I'm blind. I would have never thought that this could happen." Katie helped Ian to a chair and he sat down. "I don't think it is permanent. The Book said something about 24 hours. Yet that could be just for the kids." 

"So that means we have more time, or less time. Great." She wasn't worried much; she knew they would get Ian's eyesight back. Katie went back to where the pot fell to the floor. "Dammit," she muttered while starting to clean up. 

"What? What's dammit?" Ian asked. 

"Nothing. The potion just fell all over the floor." She grabbed a towel and began to sop up the liquid. 

"Oh. Well that really really sucks. Maybe we can make some more." The Gremlin snuck back into the kitchen. It ran up, scratched Ian, and then ran away again. "Ow!" Ian threw out his hand and the clock on the wall exploded. "... Oh no. What did I just blow up?" 

"The clock," Katie said dryly. "Nice job." Katie looked at the jar that once held the Chisandra root. It was empty. "Damn it all!" she yelled. "The damn root is all gone." She stormed out of the kitchen and to the door. "I'm going to go get some more root!" 

"Wait! You can't leave me here!" 

"Then hurry up!" 

"I can't see! Remember?" 

Katie groaned and went back into the kitchen. She helped Ian out of the manor and to the car. Then she got into the drivers side and drove to an herb store.   
  


~*~*~

A few minutes later, they arrived at the store. Kate got out of the car and helped Ian in. Then she went to look for the root. 

"Oh, this place smells. All these herbs together.... man!" Ian bumped into a cart and a large jar fell off. 

Katie spun around from the cart of herbs she was looking at and froze the store. The jar stopped in midair. "Ian!" she said sharply. 

"What? What happened?" 

"You just knocked a jar off a cart!" 

"I did? Oops. Well I didn't hear it hit the floor." 

"That's because I froze the place." Katie walked over to the jar and picked it up. She set it on the cart. "Now be more careful, please?" She went back to the cart she was looking at when the store unfroze. 

~*~*~

Katie bought the root they needed and then the two went back to the manor. Ian sat at the kitchen table while Katie made the new batch of potion. Ian sighed. "You know..... being blind is not fun." 

"Yes. I know." Katie threw the thyme into the pot. 

"And how would you know? You have never been blind." 

She shrugged instead of answering. A moment later, there was a bang from the pot and Katie stumbled back. "Woo.. That was weird." 

"What happened? Something wrong? Is that damn Gremlin back?" Ian looked around, and then sighed since he couldn't see anything. 

"Calm down. The potion is finished." Katie poured the potion into a bottle. 

"Good. Now how do we find those Grimlocks?" 

"I have no idea." Katie walked toward the table but something caught her eye as she was walking. Turning, she saw a ripped piece of cloth, supposedly from one of the Grimlocks. She grabbed the cloth and handed it to Ian. "Try this." 

Ian took the cloth and instantly he got a premonition. Once it finished Ian spoke. "Well I know where they are. I guess my mind's eye isn't clouded like my regular eyes." He smiled at the wall, yet thought he was smiling at Kate. 

Katie shook her head. "You ju- never mind. Anyway, where are they?" 

"Back at the park. Lots of kids there. Good source of vitamin C for those demons. But we have to hurry. They might make a public attack." 

"Oh of course. I got a blind brother and a public attack to worry about. Great," Katie muttered under her breath. "Alright, let's go. But no using your blow up power. You might blow up an innocent. Or worse.... me." 

~*~*~

In the park Ian held onto Katie's arm. They passed the small tent from before and heard a voice. "I told you that there would be consequences." The woman came up in front of them. 

"You again huh? Well you are that seer lady, right? Because I can't really see you." 

"I know." 

"Yeah. Well this isn't so bad. And I wont be blind for long. We are about to vanquish the demons. Right Katie?" 

"If everything goes according to plan, yes," Katie replied. 

"Good. Now, wherever you are, excuse us." Ian and Katie walked on. They went into the patch of woods and Katie looked around. "Do you see them?" Ian asked. 

"No..... wait. Yeah. They're to the right." Katie walked to where the Grimlocks were. "Hey! Bad dudes! Leave 'em alone!" A group of kids ran; the Grimlocks were trying to steal their sight. 

The Grimlocks turned. "You again." 

Ian stood still. "Take them out Kate! HIYA!" 

"Yes. Me again." Katie threw the potion at the Grimlock's feet and they burst into flame. "Ha! Now THAT was fun." Katie turned to see Ian rubbing his eyes. "Can ya see again?" 

Ian blinked. "Whoa. It is like someone turning on a light in a dark room." Ian smiled. "I can see!" 

"Yay!" 

Ian laughed. "Okay. Now let's go home and get rid of that pesky Gremlin." 

~*~*~

At home the two were back in the kitchen. "Okay," Ian said, "here's what we do. We are going to make a potion that will diminish the Gremlin's anti-magic shield for awhile. Then we use our powers on him and scare the creature away." Ian looked at his sister. "What ya think?" 

"Okay." Katie looked in the Book quickly for a recipe. Then she walked back over to the stove and started mixing up a power-diminishing potion. 

Ian watched Katie and then heard something coming from the sun room. He went in and saw the Gremlin throwing dirt from pots all over the floor. "Oh that's it." Ian ran at the Gremlin and jumped at it. But the little thing leaped out of the way and Ian crashed into a chair. "Kate! You better hurry up with that potion!" Ian stood up. The Gremlin grabbed a vase and threw it at Ian. He ducked and the vase broke against the wall. "You are creating a bigger mess than all the demons we have fought here combined!" The Gremlin just laughed. 

Katie ran into the sun room with the potion in her hand. She threw it at the Gremlin and immediately tried freezing it. It worked! "Very cool." 

"Finally! That thing is such a pest. Now throw it around a little with your power. Maybe it will scare it away." 

Katie gestured and the Gremlin flew up into the air. Midway up, it unfroze. Katie moved him again, while the Gremlin looked down in surprise. "I doubt he was expecting this." 

"I feel no pity," Ian answered. Katie slammed the Gremlin into the floor with her power and then Ian kicked it across the room. It screeched and then scampered off. There was the sound of breaking glass. Ian went with Kate into the living room. There was a hole in the window. "Well at least he's gone. Let's hope he stays away for good." 

Katie went back into the sun room and looked around. "Wonderful. Another mess to clean up." 

Ian came in behind her. "Just another perk in the life of us witches." They both smiled. 

~*~*~

The next day the two were back at the festival. Ian had booked a band for the club and Katie had played some fun and silly games. Now they were walking down the path, each with a large corn dog in their hand. "Hope we don't bump into that Seer lady again. She was.... weird." They went around the bend and looked to see if she was there. The tent was gone. Ian stopped someone and asked. "Hey where did that tent go that was here yesterday?" 

The woman that Ian had stopped gave him a weird look. "There was no tent there yesterday or at all," she answered. The lady then kept on walking. 

Ian looked at Katie. "But we both saw her. Right?" 

"Right. That's odd." Katie went over to where the tent should have been. There were no signs of anyone or anything being there. "Very odd." 

"Well we will not let this spoil our day. Come on." Ian took Katie's arm and pulled her off down the pathway again. As they walked off a woman stepped out of the trees. It was the woman in the African robes. She watched Ian and Katie for a moment and then disappeared in a flash of light.


	18. The Wedding's Curse

**A/N: Not much to say on this one, really... I think this is one of the older ones, too. But I can't remember.**

"No I do not rent out my club for parties. .....What do you mean I do? I own the place, I think I would know. .......Oh you heard it from a friend. Well that friend must have all the knowledge in the world then. Well as I just said. I don't rent out my club for parties unless it's for a good friend of mine. Goodbye." Ian hung up the phone and sighed. It was a busy night at the club and Ian was very stressed out. 

"Excuse me," came a voice from behind him. "I was wondering if you would rent out your club for a wedding reception." 

Ian groaned. "As I just told this guy on the phone, I do not rent out my club for parties or things like that unless it is for a good friend of mine." Ian turned around to see his old friend Jack standing there at the bar. "Jack?! Oh man I haven't seen you in years! How did you find me?" 

Jack smiled. "Well your club is actually a pretty big hit. News gets around. So here I am. Now I hope that I am still a good friend of yours so that I might be able to use this place for my wedding reception." 

Ian's eyes lit up. "That means you're getting married! Man I always thought I would be the first to get hitched." 

Jack laughed. "Yeah, well things change. So what do you say?" 

"I say yes. You can use my club for your wedding reception." 

"Great. So it's a deal." Jack stuck out his hand. 

"A deal," Ian said. He took Jack's hand and had a premonition of Jack being killed by a demon in the King's Corner parking lot. Ian opened his eyes. 

"You okay man?" Jack asked. 

"Yeah.... uh, I'm fine." Ian made a small smile. 

"Good. Okay, well I have to get going. I'll call you to make arrangements." Jack then left before Ian could say anything. 

Ian turned to one of his workers. "Beth, take over for a minute. I'll be right back." Ian ran around the bar and pushed through the crowd. "Excuse me..... coming through..... out of my way!" 

Ian got to the door and went out and looked around. He saw Jack making his way across the parking lot. A demon appeared behind him. The demon made a sharp motion with his arm and Jack flew across the parking lot and landed with a thud. He lay still. The demon then took an athame out of his jacket and started towards Jack. "Hey!" Ian yelled. The demon stopped and looked at Ian. Ian threw up his hands, causing the demon to explode and became a pile of ash. He then ran over to Jack and shook him. "Jack? You okay?" 

Jack groaned and opened his eyes. "Ian? What happened?" 

Ian thought quickly. "A guy attacked you. Was most likely going to mug you." 

Jack sat up and rubbed his head. "I didn't even see him, or feel him for that matter. But he must have been pretty strong to throw me this far. And where did he go?" 

"I came out here and yelled. I guess he didn't want any witnesses so he ran off." Ian helped Jack up and then got him to his car. "You sure you'll be okay?" Ian asked. 

"Yeah. I'll be fine. I'll call you in the morning. Good night." Jack drove off and Ian watched him go. Then he turned and went back into the club. 

Back in the parking lot the wind began to blow. The pile of ash that had been the demon spun up into a small twister. Then it came together and became the demon again. Alive and well.

Katie walked up to the bar at the club. "Beth? Where's Ian? I don't see him around." 

"I don't know. I saw him go that way though," Beth said, pointing toward the door. 

"Odd. I didn't see him on my way in..." Katie walked to the door and saw Ian come in. "There you are! Why were you in the parking lot?" she asked when she walked up to him. 

Ian pulled Katie over into a corner and spoke in a whisper so only Katie could hear. "My old friend Jack was here tonight. He is getting married and wanted his reception to be here. I said yes and we shook on it. Then I got a premonition. A demon was attacking Jack in the parking lot." Ian glanced around the club and made sure no was coming close enough to hear this. "So I followed Jack out and the demon arrived. He used telekinesis on Jack." 

Katie frowned. "Don't worry, Jack didn't see the demon. I vanquished him before anything else happened. Jack was fine and so then he went home. I just don't know why a demon would try to kill him." 

Katie shrugged. "Maybe there's more to him than meets the eye. I dunno." 

"Well I just hope that this was the end of it. I have to get back to work. I'll see you at home." Ian then went back to his office and began to go through his scheduling files. Katie shrugged again and went to the bar to order a drink.   


~*~*~

The next morning Ian got a call from Jack. "Hey Jack. How's your head?" 

"It's fine. I told you I was okay. Now we want to have the wedding next Sunday. How is that for you?" 

Ian checked his schedule book. "Um..... I have booked Kelly Clarkson for that night. Unless you don't mind having her and a couple other hundred people there." 

"Wow! My bride to be loves that girl's music. She never missed an episode of American Idol. Would you mind if we had it that night? We have quite a few people coming." 

"Sure. That's fine. I'll just-" Ian was cut off by himself having a premonition. The same demon from the night before was attacking Jack again! This time at a restaurant. 

"Ian?" came Jack's voice. "Are you there?" 

"Yeah. I just have.... the hiccups. Right. I think I'll go get some water. Call ya later, bye!" Ian hung up. 

Katie walked into the kitchen just as Ian hung up the phone. "Who was that?" 

Ian sat down at the table. "It was Jack. And I had another premonition. The same demon was attacking him. How is it possible?" Ian looked up at the clock. "This time it was at a restaurant. Sernovia's I think. They were serving breakfast and that goes until..... eleven. It's ten now." Ian got up and grabbed his jacket and keys. "Come on, we have to hurry." 

Katie followed Ian out to the car. As she slid into the passenger side, she asked, "Where is Sernovia's anyway?" 

"Down town New York City," Ian said as they sped off down the road, kicking up dirt, gravel, and making an old lady yell something about hooligans from the sidewalk. 

~*~*~

They arrived at Sernovia's and the two jumped out of the car and ran for the entrance. Once inside Ian looked around. He saw Jack and a woman sitting at a table on the far side of the room. And he saw the demon at another table, very close to Jack's. "Kate, freeze all the innocents," Ian said quickly. 

Katie shot out her hands and all movement stopped. A man had frozen right in a middle of a sneeze. And across the table a woman had absentmidedly knocked over her glass of water, but it had all frozen before any water had spilled. "Where's the demon? What did he look like?" 

"He's the only one left moving." The demon looked at Katie and Ian, then stood up from his table. "You again....." he said. 

Ian smirked. "Yeah. Me again." Ian then ran at the demon and began to fight him. He threw a fast punch, but the demon swatted his fist away, then tried to hit Ian with his own, Ian ducking before the blow hit him. Ian then spun in a circle and kicked the demon in the chest, sending him back against the wall. The demon gained his footing and then pushed his hands out towards Ian, who flew back across the room, almost hitting a waiter. "Okay, we have to move this fight to a different room. Kate?" Ian got up and made a motion with his head towards the bathroom door. 

Katie swung her right arm and the demon crashed into the restroom. Katie and Ian ran in after him. 

Ian glanced around the small bathroom quickly. There was no one else there except them and the demon. Good. "Now it's time to vanquish ya..... again." The demon stood up and a second later Ian blew him up. A small pile of ash was all that was left. Ian scooped it all up and threw it in the trash. "Alright, now back to the front of the restaurant before everyone unfreezes." 

They ran back out to the entrance, but Ian made a quick stop at one table and took the falling glass of water and moved it just a little to keep it out of the way of the woman's elbow. Just as they got back to their original positions, the room unfroze. 

A waiter walked up to them. "Would you like a table?" he asked. 

"Uh," Ian said, "No thank you." Ian then took Katie's arm and pulled her out the door. "Now we go home." They made their way back to the car and drove back to the manor. 

~*~*~

"That waiter probably thinks we're weird or something. Which we are, but you know what I mean," Katie said as she opened the door to the manor. 

"Yeah. I'm thinking that since we became like this many people think we are weird." Once inside Ian started up the stairs. "I'm going to go check the Book. Maybe I can find that demon in there." 

"I'll help, I guess." Katie accompanied Ian to the attic. 

Ian got the Book off the dresser as she sat down on the couch. He opened the Book and began to go through it. "Come on..... where are you?" Ian flipped through a few more pages and then stopped. There was the demon. "Here he is. Lazarus Demon: A rare high-level demon with telekinetic powers and the ability to resurrect itself. There is no vanquish spell for this demon. To keep Lazarus from resurrecting you must bury him on cemetery ground. Beware this demon for the longer he is out of his burial place the more powerful he will become." Ian stopped reading. "Uh oh....... then that thing is just going to come back and attack again." 

"Well, all we have to do is blow him up, orb to a cemetery, then bury him." 

"It might not be that easy. It says that the longer this demon is out, the stronger he becomes. We have no idea how long he has been out of his burying place. And he might find a way to get around my power." Ian sighed. "He might attack Jack again soon. But still.... why? Why would a demon want to kill Jack?" 

A breeze went through the room and then a voice spoke. "Because Jack is special." 

Ian looked around. "Who said that?" 

There was the glow of blue lights in front of them and then an old man in white robes stood there. "I did." 

"And you are..?" Katie asked, ready to freeze just in a case. 

"I am not a threat to you. I am an Elder. We Elders watch over the world and work to keep balance between the forces of good and evil." 

Ian frowned. "So why did you come to us?" 

The Elder smiled. "To tell you something of great importance. You must keep your friend Jack safe at all costs. For he is destined to be a Whitelighter." 

"Whitelighter? Isn't that like a guardian angel? I think I read about them in there." Katie pointed to the Book of Shadows. 

"Yes," said the Elder. "And if Jack is killed, he will not be able to save the ones he should in the future. You must not let the demon succeed. I can't stay here any longer. Be strong, and don't ever let evil consume you." The Elder glowed and disappeared in a bunch of blue lights. 

"Well," Ian said, "Jack was always the protective one." 

"Uh huh. So that probably means you have to 'accidentally' bump into him sometimes until we vanquish the Lazarus demon." 

"That shouldn't be too hard." He smiled and then went back to looking in the Book for anything that might help them. 

~*~*~

In the caverns of the underworld the Lazarus demon spoke with the most powerful demon in the world: the Source of All Evil. Ruler of the underworld who brings death to many of those who are good. 

"You were summoned for this job specifically for who you are. So that if you were vanquished you could live again and finish the mission. Yet you have failed twice now. These witches must know who you are by now and will know how to defeat you." The Source waved his hand and the Lazarus demon glowed a bright red. After a moment the glow faded away and was gone. "Now you are immune to their powers. Don't fail me again. Or you will be a pile of ash for all eternity." The Lazarus demon nodded and the vanished. 

~*~*~

Back at the manor Ian and Katie were down stairs. "I'm going to call Jack and get him to come over here. He should be safe then." Before Ian could pick up the phone though, the doorbell rang. "But I'll get that first." Ian went into the foyer and opened the front door. There was Jack. "Hi Jack. I was just about to call you." 

Jack nodded. "Yeah, well we didn't finish our little phone meeting this morning. So I thought I would swing by here..... and let you meet my fiancé." 

"Oh she's here?" 

Jack turned. "Honey?" A woman came up behind Jack and smiled slightly. "She's a little shy," Jack whispered. 

"Well come on in." Ian motioned them in and then shut the door. 

"Wow, Ian. You have been doing quite well," Jack said while looking around. 

Ian shrugged. "I guess so." He then turned and called, "Hey Kate! Come and meet my old friend Jack and his fiancé!" 

Katie came in from the living room. "Hey Jack and...?" she waited for Jack's fiancé's name. 

"Melissa," she said. 

Ian nodded. "Would you guys like something to drink?" 

"Sure," Jack said. 

Ian led them all into the parlor. "I'll be right back. Kate, you can keep them entertained." Ian smiled and then left the room to go get some drinks. 

"So. Jack. I've heard a lot about ya. How long have you known Ian again?" Katie asked as she sat in a chair across from the couch, where Jack and Melissa sat. 

"Since high school I guess. We even went to the same college. But after that we kinda went our own ways." 

Ian came back in with the drinks. He handed them out to Kate and Melissa and then gave Jack his. Their hands brushed and Ian got a premonition of the Lazarus demon attacking Jack at the manor. Ian opened his eyes. 

"Hiccups again?" Jack asked. 

Ian nodded. "Yeah. Been bugging me all day. Hey Kate? Can I talk to you in the kitchen for a moment?" 

Katie sighed, knowing that Ian had just had a premonition. "Excuse me," she said politely to Jack and Melissa, then followed Ian into the kitchen. "What was the premonition about?" 

Ian sighed. "The Lazarus demon again. He attacked Jack here..... in the parlor.... But I didn't see us!" He ran back into the parlor and the Lazarus demon appeared. Katie came up next to Ian. "Freeze him!" Ian hissed. 

Katie opened her fists quickly toward the demon. "Dammit he won't freeze!" she hissed back at Ian. Just then the Lazarus demon threw her back with telekinesis. She hit the table behind her, hard. 

Jack and Melissa turned just at that point. Melissa screamed. "What the hell?" Jack said. 

Ian thought quickly, 'There's no time to explain. I just have to fight.' Ian waved his hands at the Lazarus demon to blow him up. But nothing happened. "What's going on...?"   
The Lazarus demon laughed. "I'm immune to your powers now." He motioned with his hand and a vase flew off a side table and towards Jack. He ducked and the vase crashed against the wall. 

"Ian! What is this, a joke?" 

"No joke," was all Ian said. Then he ran forward and levitated into the air kicking the demon in the head. He fell to the floor and then Ian landed. The demon swung his arm and Ian was thrown back into the wall. He landed unconscious and blood began to seep out his ear. 

"Jack, Melissa, get upstairs!" Katie ran into fight with the Lazarus demon hand-to-hand after Ian fell to the ground. She wanted to go and make sure he was alright, but saving the innocents was more important. They both knew that. 

Next to Ian there was a glow of blue lights and then a young man appeared. He leaned down and put his hands over Ian. Golden light came from them and Ian was healed. He opened his eyes and looked up. "Who are you?" 

"I'm your Whitelighter." 

Ian was about to say something when Kate was knocked back. "Enough of this. Katie, hold him off for just a moment longer." Ian got up and ran into the kitchen. He grabbed a butcher knife and then went back. "Katie, duck!" Kate ducked down and Ian threw the knife. It hit the demon in the chest. He cried out and then turned to dust. Ian grabbed a vase off of a table and put the remains in there. "Hurry Kate. Orb to the cemetery and bury this. I am going to try to talk to Jack and Melissa." 

Katie nodded. "Good luck," she said in an undertone. She took the vase and orbed out to a cemetery nearby. 

Ian turned to the White Lighter. "Thank you," Ian said. 

The White Lighter nodded. "I'll be watching over you. If you need help just call my name. It's Rob. I'll warn you of large dangers as well." Rob smiled and then orbed out. 

Ian sighed and then went upstairs. Jack and Melissa were in Ian's room. They were on the bed holding each other and Melissa was crying. "You guys?" Ian said. 

They looked up. "What the hell happened down there Ian? I don't understand." Jack gave Ian a stern look, but there was fear in his eyes. 

Ian sat in a chair. "Well.... it's kinda hard to explain. But I'll do my best. Magic runs all through this world. There is good and evil. I'm a male witch. You would think evil when you hear witch, but most of us are actually good witches. Katie is also a witch. We found out all this earlier this year. We are still learning to control our powers that we have. But we are destined to fight evil. Like demons and warlocks. So far we have done okay. We haven't been killed yet." Ian made a small smile. "I know this is a lot to find out, but it's the truth. Please believe me." 

Jack looked at Melissa. She was still crying, but not as much now. "I have known you for years Ian. You have been a great friend. And I know that you would never lie to me. I believe you." Ian made a larger smile. "And," Jack continued, "I saw it for myself so how can I not believe it?" He laughed. 

"Don't worry Jack; I don't think anymore demons will be coming after you." 

"But why did this one come after me in the first place?" 

Ian sighed. More to explain. "Well Jack..... you are special." And that was all he would say. 

~*~*~

"So how did it go with Jack and Melissa?" Katie asked later that night. She didn't have a chance to ask him earlier. 

"It went okay. I explained it all to them as best as I could. But I didn't tell Jack that he was a future Whitelighter. I thought it might be better not to say anything about that." Ian took a sip from his coffee that he had made and continued. "Speaking of Whitelighters.... it so happens that we now have one. His name is Rob. He will keep us in contact with these Elders, who can give us information, and also heal us when we are hurt." 

"Really? That could come in handy sometime." 

Ian nodded. "I just don't understand why we weren't given one earlier. We sure could have used one. But maybe it takes some time to assign one." 

"Must be," Katie said. They were both extremely tired and decided to go to bed early. They headed up and were asleep within a few minutes. 

~*~*~

The next Sunday at the club Jack and Melissa were having their reception. The newly weds' were dancing to music and Katie and Ian sat in a circular booth near the stage. Then an announcer's voice came over the comm. "Ladies and gentlemen. Please welcome our guest for tonight..... Kelly Clarkson!" Cheers went up from the crowd as Kelly came out. She sang her song "A Moment Like This". It was perfect for Jack and Melissa. 

Ian and Katie smiled at each other. Then someone tapped Ian on the shoulder. Ian turned. It was Rob. "Hi Rob. Kate, this is Rob. Our....special person." 

"Nice to meet you," Katie said to Rob. 

"You too. Look, Ian, Kate, we have trouble. Big trouble," Rob said with a grim look. 

Ian glanced at Katie. "Here we go again..."


	19. A Plea For Help

**A/N: Ian mostly wrote this one. My parts, excluding the Elise part in my body, the beginning, and the end is what I wrote.**

Ian stood at the bar of his club getting some drinks for a couple of customers. It was a busy night. Music played in the background, people were dancing.... it was great. "Here you go," he said to two men at the bar and gave them their drinks. Ian then moved down to the other side. A young woman sat there. She looked really depressed. "Hey, um, what's wrong?" The woman looked up. 

"Nothing. I was just thinking." 

Ian nodded. "You from around here?" 

"No, I'm from out of town." 

"Ah, well this is the best club in the city. Get on the dance floor and have some fun." Ian patted her hand and was hit with a premonition. A split second later he opened his eyes. 

"Are you okay?" the woman asked. 

"Uh... yeah. So-" The was a ringing from the girls purse. She took out a pager and looked at it. Pain seemed to fill her face. "I got to go. Bye." She got up and ran off. 

"Wait!" Ian sighed. His vision been startling. He didn't really know what it meant. All he knew is that he had to do something. "Beth! Take over for me. I'll be back soon." Ian then grabbed his coat and quickly went home. 

~*~*~

Katie, who was the manor as usual, heard Ian almost slam the door closed. "Uh... Ian? Something wrong?" she asked as she came in from the living room. 

"I had a premonition." Ian took off his coat and put it on the hook. 

"Alright... But a bit more detail would be nice." 

Ian went into the kitchen and sat on a stool at the island in the middle of the room. Katie walked in behind him and took a seat at the table. "Well it wasn't the normal demon vision thing. It was.... Well I was at the club, ya know, and I am talking to this woman. And when I touched her hand I had a premonition. Ugh.... I saw her screaming..... an apartment.... and a very big guy... very angry. And that was it. I just don't understand it." 

"Sounds like marriage trouble... Lots of marriage trouble. If that guy was her husband, I mean," Katie replied. 

"But why would I get a vision of that? I usually just get ones of demons." 

"First time for everything." 

"I guess...... Well, what are we supposed to do?" 

Katie sighed. "You got that premonition for some reason. We have to help her.... Though something tells me this isn't going to be in the Book." She smiled crookedly. 

"I have no idea how we should help her though. I don't know where she is and I can't really use what I saw of the apartment. They are all the same." Ian sat down on the couch in the living room and put his face in his hands. 

"Oh come on, there has to be some way of figuring out who she is... Did she pay for anything?" Katie asked, sitting down on the chair across from Ian. 

"She only paid with cash." 

"Well, there goes that idea..." 

"Well there seems like there is nothing we can do for now. Hopefully my vision wasn't one of the near future." Ian got up. "I have to get back to the club. Beth isn't that great at keeping things together. And maybe the woman will come back." 

"I'll come with you. It's not like I have anything to do here." Katie grabbed her jacket as she followed Ian out the door. 

~*~*~

In a dank and dirty apartment in another town, the young woman that Ian had met at King's Corner was backing up against her bedroom wall. "No, Erik. Please don't." Her husband moved in on her. He was muscular and well built. His dark eyes pierced his wife with mad rage. 

"I thought I told you to stay here! Wasn't that an easy enough command to follow?!" 

"Erik, I just wanted to get out.... have some fun at a club." Erik grabbed the young woman. 

"Fun, Elise? Fun? Well I will tell you... I am going to have fun right now." Erik threw Elise into the wall. She screamed out in pain, but he grabbed her again and smacked her across the face. Tears leaked from Elise's eyes as Erik hit her again and again. _Please..._ she thought desperately, _Let me out of here.... just let me out!_

~*~*~ 

At the club Katie sat at a table sipping on her drink. Suddenly she was hit with a wave of pain across her face, like she had been punched. Her vision went blurry. The next thing she knew she was in a dim lighted room. Tears were on her face and she felt pain all over. There was a man in front of her, pulling back his fist. He punched. Blood came pouring from her nose where the man had hit her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she cried out, not thinking. The man's eyes held wild anger; he didn't answer, but kept kicking and punching her. Soon, but it felt like hours, later, no more blows came. 

From her fetal position on the floor against the wall, Katie heard the man's footsteps fade away in the hallway. White hot pain was everywhere on her body. She barely managed to get up on the bed, where she lay thinking. She should've tried defend herself. But she couldn't; the man kept attacking her non-stop. 

_Where am I?_ Katie thought through the pain. She had noticed that she obviously wasn't at the club anymore earlier, but she had other things on her mind. She didn't want to get up and find out; the pain was too much. Instead, she cried herself to sleep, wishing the pain would go away. But most of all, wishing her brother was here to save her.   


~*~*~

Back at the club, Kate's body still sat at a table. Yet another mind was in it. "How did I get here?" She gasped. _That's not my voice_' Running to the restroom she looked in the mirror and saw a stranger staring back at her. "What happened?! I... I switched bodies?!" Elise/Katie ran out of the bathroom, bumping into someone. She threw up her hands and everything froze. The music had stopped..... people were in the middle of dancing. 

Nothing moved. Except one person. 

"Katie? What are you doing?" Ian came over and glared at what he thought was his sister. 

"Who.... what? What did I do?" 

Ian rolled his eyes. "You froze the place. That's one of your powers, remember?" 

Tears began to seep from the eyes of Kate. "Powers...? I don't understand.... I'm getting out of here!" She then turned and ran out of the building. A second later everything unfroze. Yet no one noticed that Ian had suddenly switched places. Ian knew there was something wrong with his sister, but he couldn't leave the club again. He would have to talk to Kate about it later. 

Out in the parking lot "Elise" looked around in the darkness. Digging in the pocket of the jeans she wore she pulled out some keys. Pushing a button she heard a beep and the lights of a car near her flashed. Elise walked over to it and got in. Turning it on she pulled out and drove out of the lot. "I have to go home... and find out what has happened to my body."   


~*~*~

Katie woke up with the sun in her eyes. Moaning, she rolled over in bed. As soon and she moved, her muscles cried out in pain. "Ugh..." Suddenly, last night's memories returned. "Not good, not good, not good," she muttered under her breath. Katie stood up and went into the bathroom. Looking through the medicine cabinet, she found a bottle of Advil, and took two of them. Then she closed the door of it, and gasped as she caught her reflection in the mirror. She was in another women's body! 

Katie ran out of the bathroom out to the living room. There was the cruel man from last night, sleeping on the couch. She tip-toed to the cordless, then started back to the bedroom when the door opened. There stood her body. 

Elise stared at Kate. Her body was so beaten... bruised and bloody. "So, is this body I'm in yours?" 

Katie stared right back at her. "...Yes. Now, if you don't mind getting out of it...?" 

"Well that is the thing... I don't know how to switch them back. But right now, I don't want to. Your body has powers, and it is healthy and strong. I don't want to go back to my life of pain and anguish." 

"Well I'm not the one who got your body into this mess!" Katie exploded. Elise's husband stirred slightly, but then went back into deep sleep. "We can help, my brother and I. Just please, switch bodies back with me," she said, quieter. 

"Oh, you have a brother? Hmm....... that must have been him at that club." Elise smiled Katie's smile. "Since he owns a club he must be rich.... life with that wouldn't be bad..... Look, I'm gonna go. Your life seems better than mine, so I am going to take it. Bye now." She turned and began to walk out the door. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute there." Katie reached out to hold the door open. 

Elise turned. "Sorry, but I won't go back to my life." She waved her hands like she had last night and Katie froze. "I like this power....." Elise then turned and walked out, closing the door behind her.   


~*~*~

A few minutes later, Katie unfroze. The door was closed, and her body was no where to be seen. "Dammit!" She knew what happened. Elise froze her. Quickly she grabbed the coat off the peg near the door, and ran outside into the bitter wind. "I hate fall," she complained to herself as another blast of wind entered every opening in the jacket. A sudden thought hit her: Where was she and where was home? 

~*~*~

"Okay, I'm home!" Ian yelled as he opened the front door. The house was dark. 'Katie must be asleep', Ian thought. He took off his jacket and put it on the hook. Heading upstairs he entered Katie's room. "Kate? You awake?" But the bed was empty. "Weird..... maybe she went out." Ian went back downstairs and into the kitchen. Picking up the phone he called Kate's cell... No answer. "Okay... something is going on. Rob! Rob!" 

Rob, Ian and Katie's new white lighter, orbed in a second later. "What is it?" he asked. 

"Well Katie was acting kinda strange earlier tonight, and she isn't home and I called her cell phone but there was no answer. Can you sense her and bring me to her?" 

Rob nodded and closed his eyes. "... I got her. Let's go." He took Ian's arm and they orbed out. 

Ian looked around. They were in an alleyway. "What are we doing here?" 

"Well this is a new club in town and this is where I sensed her. But I couldn't just orb in there, because-" 

"I know why you couldn't!" Ian shivered. "Man I should have brought my jacket. It is freezing out here. Come on let's get inside and find Kate." They went in and were immediately surrounded by dancing people. "Oh man... I really wish I had Kate's freezing power right now. 'Cause how the hell are we gonna find her in this crowd?" 

Rob pointed. "There she is." 

Ian looked and almost yelled. His sister was up on stage dancing with a shirtless guy like it was her last day on Earth. "Oh... my... god! Come on we have to get her off that stage." Ian pushed through people and then got stuck when three girls wouldn't move. His temper was about to snap. "Hey! Move out of the way _NOW!_" The crowd in front of him all stepped out of the way, making a nice path to the stage. "Thank you." Ian and Rob quickly made their way through and stopped at the stage. "Kate!" Katie made no sign of hearing him. "Katie! Hey! You listen to me!" 

Katie glanced at him. Then a look of realization came on her face. Like _"Oh yeah. That's me."_

Ian motioned with his hand. "Come on! Get off that stage right now!" 

Katie smirked. "Why? I am having too much fun!" Ian glared and then got up onto the stage and grabbed Katie's arm. "This is SO not like you. Now come on." Katie threw off Ian's hand. 

"Excuse me, but I make my own decisions." She motioned with her hand at him and the room froze. 

".... What are you doing?" 

Katie looked stunned. "How come you didn't freeze?" 

Now it was Ian's turn to look stunned. "Uh... Kate? You could never freeze me. You can't freeze other good witches." 

"Oh... yeah. I knew that. But I am still not leaving. I want to stay here." Ian turned to Rob. "Rob? Come on let's-" Rob was frozen like everyone else. "Dang. Oh well... Now Kate. Let's go home. I think you are coming down with something." 

"I... said... NO!" Ian flew back across the stage and landed in a heap. Ian groaned and stood up. Katie was staring down at her hands. "Another power....." she said. 

"What the....? That's it!" Ian grabbed Rob and shook him out of the freeze. 

"What happened?" he asked. 

"No time! Grab Kate and orb us home now." Rob jumped onto the stage and took both Ian and Katie's arms, yet Kate struggled, and orbed them back to the manor.   
  


~*~*~

The real Katie was shivering so hard that her teeth were chattering. But she dare not go into a coffee shop or a store. He might be there. And besides, she wanted to avoid as much human contact as possible, in case someone that this... Elise knew caught sight of her. Or even the cops. With a body as bruised and bloody as hers, they would most likely take her in. 

So she stuck to the sidewalks, keeping her head down. Once or twice she had to jump into the middle of a crowd to avoid being seen by a police car. One couldn't be too safe... especially when you weren't even in your own body! 

She hadn't any money in her pockets. She checked the first time a cab was near. And she was never one to hitchhike. The thought of begging for a ride from someone you don't know kind of freaked her out. But Katie made the best of what she had. A strong mind, a sense of direction, and really, really thin jacket. _Great. This day just keeps getting better and better!_ she thought sarcastically as a car rolling by splashed her with water from the road.   


~*~*~

"Let me go! What do you think you are doing?! I am your sister!" Elise/Katie was tied to a chair and Ian and Rob stood in front of her. 

"No sister of mine would use her powers against me. And while my sister may be weird... she is not as weird as you were being." Ian stared down at what he now thought was an imposter. 

"Ian, come on. I just wanted to get out and have some fun. And I got a little mad when you wouldn't let me do that and I snapped. Now please... untie the ropes." 

Ian shook his head. "No. Now are you are demon? Warlock? Something new that I have never heard of?" Elise just sat there in silence. "What do you think, Rob?" 

Rob sighed and thought for a moment. "Well this is definitely Katie. Because I sensed her. Yet she could be possessed." 

"Yes! That's it! She is possessed. I was possessed once and I used my powers against her. Yep, possessed is better than sister gone insane and doing what she was doing with that guy any day." 

"I am not possessed!" Elise yelled. 

Ian sighed. "Then what is happening here?" 

"Okay... I'll tell you. I.... I switched bodies with your sister. And.... I just don't want to go back to the life that I lived. Abuse.... pain... I can't handle that anymore."

Ian stared. "Whoa... wait a minute. Switched bodies? Then that would mean that you are a witch. Right?" he said, turning to Rob. 

"Yeah, that would make sense. She could be a witch and not know it. Then she wouldn't know how to control her power." 

Ian turned back to Elise. "Okay, well then just use your power and switch back. We will help you." 

"No! I am not going back. And I don't even know if I can. I have this woman's powers... so she must have mine. Only she can switch us back." 

"Well then we have to find Katie. And fast. She could be in danger." At that moment a demon shimmered into the room. Electricity lashed out from his hands and knocked Ian into the wall. Rob tried to get to him, but the demon used his power on him too. Rob was down. The demon turned to Elise. She had been loosening the ropes slightly with this other power that she had. Now she went all out and the ropes flew off her. 

Elise stood up and stared at the demon. He was blue skinned with dark red eyes. "What are you?" Elise asked. 

"Your killer." A bolt leapt from his finger tips. Elise screamed and put up her arms to shield herself. Suddenly she was engulfed in shimmering blue lights and disappeared. The bolt hit the wall and left a scorch mark. Elise then reappeared the same way she had left. She had orbed. "Another power.... this witch is strong." The demon grimaced and then ran at her. Swinging her arm Elise used Kate's telekinesis. The demon flew back and landed on the wood floor. Ian groaned and went to Elise's side. 

"Good work. You learn fast," he said. Ian raised his hands and blasted the demon to bits. 

"Whoa..... what other powers do you have?" Elise asked. 

"Talk later. We have to find Katie now." Ian went over to Rob and helped him up. 

"Ow," he said. "I may be dead, but I can still feel pain. And that really hurt." 

"So what do we do?" Ian asked. 

"Well this Katie.... she was at my apartment when I last saw her." 

"Then let's roll." Ian grabbed his coat and they headed out to his car.   
  


~*~*~

It was morning, and Katie was still walking down the sidewalk. Her legs hurt, she was freezing, but still, she kept walking. She just had to block out the pain. Not too hard... most of the time. But she was down to her last dregs of energy. She was exhausted, about to collapse. 

So she went into a small, dark alley and sat down near the back, out of sight of the road. Thankfully there wasn't anyone there, so she had the place to herself. Suddenly, as soon as she knew she was alone, her defenses broke and she buried her head in her hands, sobbing. She wasn't used to this kind of situation. Normally she had her brother, or was smart enough to evade this kind of stuff. But now she was caught against her will, in a life she did not want. She could only hope Ian was looking for her.   


~*~*~

Elise opened the door to her apartment. "This is the place," she said. The place was dank and dreary. Very little of the early morning sunlight shined in through the cracked windows. "Wow... it's um.... nice?" Ian said. 

"It's a dump," Elise replied. 

"Is that a dead rat?" Rob asked. 

"Oh just look for Katie..... Oh my god it is a dead rat. Have eaten by maggots.... well I won't be eating breakfast today." They saw Erik still passed out on the couch, snoring. 

"So... has he not taken a shower in the last six months or did he just crawl out of a dumpster?" Ian held his nose closed. Erik stirred. "Oops. Better be quiet or else the beast might awake." They went into the bedroom. It was empty. "She's not here." Ian turned to Elise and Rob. "She's not here!" There was a grunt from the living room. 

"Ssh! Don't wake him up." 

"Oh he has got nothing on me. I can blow up demons. Compared to them, he is nothing." 

"Well he is something to me! He beats me all the time! And you will never know that kind of pain!" 

Ian put a hand over Elise's mouth. "Quiet. Or you will wake up-" 

"Me?" came a voice. They all looked to the doorway. There was Erik. 

"Oh.... hello." 

"Who the hell are you people? Get out of my house! Where is Elise?!" 

Elise opened her mouth but Ian grabbed her arm. "Uh... we are friends of her's. Yeah, we just came to pick her up. But she is not here so I guess we will be leaving...." Ian made his way to the door, but Erik blocked him. "You aren't going anywhere." Ian sighed. "Uh huh. Well.... this is gonna hurt." 

"What is?" 

"This!" Ian swung and slammed his fist into Erik's face. He fell back and shook the floor when he hit it. 

"Wow..." Elise said. "I wish I could do that." 

"Meh. Takes practice. Now let's get out of here before he wakes up." The three quickly left and went back to the car. 

"Okay, now what?" Rob asked. 

"We... we could use a spell," Ian said. 

"A spell.... I don't know any." 

"Well of course you don't. You just found out that you are a witch. But I know spells..... Well the Book Of Shadows does. Let's go." 

~*~*~

"Okay," Ian said, opening the sacred book, "let's see what we got here." He flipped the pages while Rob and Elise sat on the old dusty couch that had sat in the attic for years. "Ah ha! I think I have something. A finding spell... I am going to have to tweak it a little." Ian set the Book on a table and got out some paper. Writing the remodeled spell on it he then sat down on the couch next to Elise. "Now you have to read this with me. Okay?" Elise nodded and they began to read. "Show us the path to the one we cannot find, to save Katie and restore our peace of mind." The three of them were engulfed in swirling white lights and the next thing they knew... they were in an alleyway. "What the hell? Did the spell even work? Maybe I wrote something wrong..." 

Katie's head jerked up at the sound of her brother's voice. "Ian..?" she whispered. 

Ian turned to the sound. "Oh... how does that hobo know my name? Or is it hoba? Sorry... I am suddenly having flash backs of ninth grade Spanish," Ian whispered to the others. 

"That is no hobo... hoba.. whatever. That is my body." Ian's eyes widened. "Katie?!" Ian ran to her and grabbed her in a hug. "Oh are you okay?! You look horrible!" 

"Of course I'm not okay!" she snapped, though put her arms around Ian tightly, hanging onto him for dear life. 

"Alright, well we gotta get you home and switch you guys back. Can ya orb? ... What am I saying? Rob?! Let's go!" 

~*~*~

They orbed into the living room and Ian helped Katie onto the couch. "Okay.... switch!"   
"And how am I supposed to do that, Ian?" Katie leaned back on the couch and looked up at him through half-closed eyelids. "It's not like I know how to use this power." 

"Well.... ya gotta try. Elise figured out how to use your powers pretty quickly." Ian looked at his sister's body who held Elise's mind. "So... what did you exactly do right before this all happened?" 

"Well... I was just so scared... and I wished I could just get out of there." 

"Ah ha! That's it! Kate, ya gotta wish it. Will it to happen." 

"Riiight... Have you forgotten I'm not a fast learner? Never mind." Katie closed her eyes and concentrated on getting back to her own body. A moment later, she opened her eyes... But was still in Elise's body. "Damn!" 

Rob came and sat next to Katie. He looked into her eyes. "Katie, I know you can do it. You are a powerful witch no matter what body you are in. The strength is there inside you. Search for it.... find it. Feel the magic flowing through you. You can do it." 

Ian smiled. "Did you take speech class when you were in school?" 

"They didn't have that when I was in school." 

"Oh... right. Well let's continue. Go for it Katie." 

Katie stared at Rob and Ian for a second before closing her eyes again. 'I want to be in my body...' she thought, hard, trying to tap into Elise's powers. She continued thinking this until there was a moment of dizziness. It subsided, and she opened her eyes. "Yay!" she exclaimed, finding that she was in her own body. 

"No yay from me," said Elise from her body. "Ow.... man, Erik really beat me up good." 

"And we won't let that happen anymore," Ian said. "Like I promised... we are going to get you help." 

Elise smiled. "Thank you." 

~*~*~

Two days later Ian and Katie sat in the conservatory drinking some iced tea. "Well Erik is now in jail for abusing Elise. And I told her that we would come over to her apartment tomorrow and help her clean it up." 

"Can't wait. So what did Elise do while in my body?" Katie asked with a crooked smile. The last few days had been with the police, or relaxing half the time for her. 

"Well... you don't want to know. But a little advice. Don't go to that new club on 5th." Katie frowned. 

"....Why?" 

"Uh... no reason!" Ian set down his glass and ran out of the room. 

"Hey!" Katie jumped up and ran through the house after him.


	20. Voodoo Gypsies

**A/N: Another mostly-Ian make. Yeah, I know, I know. I didn't like it, so he finished it. I helped write the very first scene though!**

The moon shone brightly over the city of New York. But in the alleyways it was dark. Down in one of them three figures ran. One was a gypsy, dressed in red robes and many beaded necklaces hung around her neck. They bounced up and down as she ran. The other two were Ian and Katie King. They were chasing the Gypsy because she had become corrupt and killed an innocent. And the King siblings had to stop her.

"Stop!" Ian yelled. He was surprised when the Gypsy did stop.

She turned and raised her hands, fingers pointing straight out at and Ian and his sister. She mumbled a bunch of words that neither witch could understand. Red darts of energy suddenly shot out of her finger tips.

"Whoa!" Ian shot up into the night air as Katie leapt aside. While Ian hovered ten feet in the air the Gypsy launched another volley of darts at Katie.

Katie swung her arm at the darts and they shot back at the Gypsy, puncturing her right through. She fell into a heap on the pavement, her eyes open, by life gone from them. "Oh my god," Katie whispered.

Ian came back down to the pavement and put his hand on his sister's shoulder. "Hey, it's ok. She tried to kill us. You were only defending yourself."

Katie nodded slowly and stared at the dead body that lay there. "I just... I wonder why she turned evil."

"I don't know. But we did our job. We stopped her from killing anyone else."

"Yeah. So what do we--" Katie stopped in mid-sentence as she heard a scream.

"Help! Help, someone, please help!"

Ian glanced at Katie. "Let's go. We'll come back for the body later." The two then ran off back down the alley and towards the screams for help.

The cold night breeze blew through the narrow alley, ruffling the dead Gypsy's robes. Next to her the air rippled. A demon appeared and looked down at the Gypsy. He held his hands out over her and whispered, "Caducas exanimas vita aetas anima."

The Gypsy's body glowed and then she sat up, blinking. "What happened?" she asked. "And who are you?"

The demon lowered his hands and smiled. "You died. Killed by those foul witches you were. And I am the one who just brought you back. You should thank me."

The Gypsy stood and glowered at the demon. "I sense great evil in you. You are a demon. Get away from me before I kill you."

He laughed. "Oh please. I could easily put you back to how you were before I came. Now, listen to me. I am here to propose something to you."

The Gypsy just stared at him.

"You should want to help me. See, my plan deals with killing those two witches. Now I know you want a part in that."

The Gypsy nodded. "Yes. Cruel things stopped me from continuing on with my killing spree."

The demon laughed again. "I think we are going to get along, you and me. Well, come along." He then took her by the arm and both of them disappeared.

"Good work at freezing that robber, Kate. It was at pretty long distance, too." Ian and Katie were walking back into the alley.

"Yeah, I have been practicing trying to freeze things from farther away. And it's been paying off." Katie then stopped short and her eyes widened. "Ian? Where is the body?!"

"Uh... I don't know. People can't just... get up after dying and walk away can they?"

Katie shook her head, still in shock. "I don't think so. Ok, um, we have to go talk to Rob. See if he can help."

Ian nodded. "Let's hope so."  
  


~*~*~

"Rob!" Ian called as he and Katie walked into the attic of the manor. He got to the Book and started flipping through it while Katie sat down on the dusty old couch.

Rob orbed in a second later. "How did it go with the Gypsy?" he asked.

Katie sighed. "Chased her, killed her, lost her."

"Huh?" Rob looked confused. "What do you mean you lost her? And you killed her?"

Ian nodded. "Yeah, she attacked us and Katie killed her in self defense. And then we left for a few minutes to help a woman that was being robbed and when we came back..."

"She was gone," Katie finished.

"Gone?"

"Yep," Katie said, leaning back. "Body gone, no trace, shish bang poof."

"Do you know if Gypsies can just get up and walk away after dying? Because I can't find anything in here yet." Ian indicated the Book Of Shadows as he continued to leaf through it.

Rob shook his head. "No, I have never heard of them being able to do that. I'll go check with the Elders."

As Rob began to orb out Ian stopped him. "Um, could you also ask them what is wrong with my club?"

"Your club?" Rob frowned.

"Yeah, I think something is wrong. Every night at midnight, for the past week, odd things have been happening. Just like little pranks. Glasses tipping over, people being tripped up, and no reason for them. I think it is supernatural."

"Ok," Rob said. "I'll check."

"Thanks," Ian said as Rob orbed out. He glanced at his watch. "Ugh, it's almost midnight. I have to get to the club and make sure nothing major happens. Can you look in the Book some more?"

Katie stood up from the couch and stretched. "Yeah, sure. I have no life anyway."

Ian smiled sympathetically. "No luck in the job search, huh?"

"None," Katie said.

"Well when you go on an unscheduled month long vacation, you tend to get fired. But don't worry. You'll find something. But I gotta go. I'll see you later." Ian then proceeded out of the room and down the stairs.

"Bye!" Katie called after him.

"Bye!"

Katie turned and walked over to the already open Book Of Shadows. "Ok, Kate. Let's see what we can find."  
  


~*~*~

Firelight made shadows dance on the trees that surrounded the clearing of the forest. The moon was gone, hidden behind large, dark clouds. The Gypsy and the demon sat close to a large bonfire that the Gypsy had started with a simple spell.

"Tell me your name," she said, staring into the fire.  
"Feran. Yours?"  
"Mayron. Now, what is your plan?"  
Feran poked the fire with a stick. "Well, I want you to help me get the help of your clan."

"My clan?" Mayron stared at Feran for a moment. "Why?"

"Because I need their magic to help me stop those accursed witches. I want them to use Voo-doo magic to weaken them so that I can then go in for the kill."

"Voo-doo magic? That is very old magic. Not many know how to use it."

"But your clan does. I did my research, I know what they can do. But I need you to get them to help me."

Mayron laughed, a guttural sarcastic laugh. "They exiled me once I turned. Well, they tried to help first, but when they saw I was evil through and through they kicked me out before I could corrupt any others."

"Ah, but see, I have a plan."

She raised an eyebrow at Feran. "Which is?"

"To tell them that the witches were the ones that turned you evil. So that they would have an excuse to kill you. Your clan should believe it. And they will help me."

Mayron shrugged. "If you think so." She looked back into the fire and watched it dance. "And when do we do this?"

"We start tomorrow." Feran chucked the stick he was holding into the fire and smiled at Mayron. "Tomorrow we will kill the witches. And then your clan."

"Why kill them?"

"Because I don't want anyone with that much magic turning against me. So when we are through with them they will be disposed of." Feran laughed and laid down on his back. "Tomorrow we make history."

Mayron nodded and then mumbled a quick chant. The fire went out and the clearing was consumed in darkness.

~*~*~

"And it's midnight." Ian glanced at his watch as he came into the entrance of the club. There weren't many people there. Obviously they were steering clear because of what was going on. Ian go to the bar and saw Beth cleaning some glasses. "Hey, anything weird happen yet?"

Beth shook her head. "Nope." Just then someone screamed as their chair was pulled out from under them, with no culprit in sight. "Oh, never mind. There's one thing."

Ian sighed. "Ok, just put on some REALLY good music and try to get some people to dance." No one at all was on the dance floor, even though there was music going.

"People don't want to dance. Every time someone starts they get tripped up and fall on their ass. This place is cursed."

Ian turned away and whispered, "Tell me about it."

~*~*~

The next morning Katie sat at the kitchen table with the newspaper spread out in front of her. She was looking at the want ads page and holding a highlighter in her hand.

Ian walked in and started to pour himself some coffee. "Find anything good?" he asked, looking at his sister.

"No. There are a bunch of fast food places looking for workers. But after what happened last time one of us worked at a place like that..." She smirked at Ian pointedly.

"Hey, that was not my fault. I was evil because of that stupid Warlock who stole the Book. And that can't happen now since we put a spell on it that protects it from evil."

"Yeah, but still, I don't want to work at a place like that. It would be like... going back in time and becoming a teenager again. Which is something I do NOT want to repeat."

Ian smiled as he sat down at the table. "Teenage life wasn't really all that bad for me. I had a car, lots of friends, good grades, a girlfriend--"

"Oh stop. You boast too much. And if you don't remember, Grandma took the car from you because you crashed it, you lost a lot of friends after that one incident at that party, your grades shot down in your Junior year because you became lazy, and your girlfriend dumped you for that hot football player."

"...Thanks for reminding me of all those wonderful memories, Kate." Ian stared down into his coffee cup for a moment. "So did Rob ever come back last night?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Nuh uh. And I searched the Book for about an hour. Nothing in there about Gypsies being able to come back from the dead. By the way, how did it go at your club? Anything weird happen?"

Ian nodded. "Oh yeah. Chairs were pulled out from under people, any dancers that we got onto the dance floor were tripped up, a large case of Mikes fell off a shelf, making a huge mess." Ian then held up his right index finger, which was bandaged up. "And my office door slammed on my finger for no reason."

"Ouch. I really hope Rob has some info for us."

"Me too." There was a flurry of blue lights as Rob orbed into the room. "Oh, good. You're here. Did you find anything out?"

"About the Gypsy, no. About your club, yes."

Katie frowned. "The Elders knew nothing about the Gypsy? Nothing at all?"

"Well... not yet," Rob said, shrugging. "They are still looking, don't worry. I will keep checking in with them."

"Ok, so what about my club?" Ian asked.

"The Elders think that your club has been infested by a band of Trolls."

"Trolls?"

Rob nodded. "Yeah, they are mystical creatures that live in a realm parallel, but which is separated by a thin veil. This veil is lifted in Œtween' places such as doorways. But at midnight, the hour between night and day, the entire world becomes a Œtween'. Which is why it is at midnight when things start to happen at your club."

"Oh," Ian said. "Well, you're right. All the weird stuff seems to happen between midnight and one. And anything that happened in a time other than that was because someone was in a Œtween'. Like... my finger getting slammed in the door!"

"So how come no one can see them?" Katie asked, looking slightly confused.

"Because their magic keeps them invisible to mortal eyes, and witches can only see them when they cast a spell to See the Unseen."

"Is this spell in the Book?" Ian finished off his coffee and stood up to put the cup in the sink.

Rob nodded. "Yeah, it's in there."

"Good. Ok, thanks Rob. Make sure to tell us if the Elders find out anything about the dead-walkin' Gypsy."

"I will." Rob then orbed out.

~*~*~

In a wooded area of Central Park the Faynahol Gypsy clan sat in a large circle. They were communing with one another and meditating.

Out of the trees came Mayron. "I have returned," she said in a loud voice.

The Gypsies all gasped and turned to see Mayron. A few looked like they wanted to run. But one very old Gypsy stood and walked forward. "What are you doing here, Mayron? You know that we exiled you."

Mayron nodded slowly. "Yes, but the reason you did so was not my fault. I was turned evil by two witches. And then they killed me."

The old Gypsy narrowed her eyes. "And how is it that you have come back to life?"

Mayron looked off to where she had come out of the trees. A moment later Feran came out and stood by Mayron. "He brought me back. And he wants to help us. Help us get back at the witches who corrupted and killed me."

"But Mayron," the Gypsy said, staring at Feran, "this is a demon. I can sense it."

"He may be a demon, but he wants to help us. We must stop those witches before they do any more harm. Please... help me. They might come back and try to change me again. And they could kill us all. You must help. For the good of the clan you must."

The old Gypsy looked skeptical, but she nodded. "All right. Tell us what we must do."  
  


~*~*~

"Ok Ian, the crystals have been set." Allison came down the steps of the empty club and walked over to Ian.

He sat at the bar with the Book of Shadows laying open in front of him. "Thanks for coming to help."

"No problem." Allison sat down and looked over Ian's shoulder. "So what was the point of setting up those three crystals around the club?"

Ian showed her the Book. "I want to take care of these Trolls before tonight, so that I don't have to close the club while I do it. And for this to work I have to make the time inside the club midnight."

"And how do you do that?"

"With this spell." Ian pointed to the page he had been reading. "See, the crystals set up a temporary time zone within the club. Then I cast the spell to change the time in here to midnight and the veil between our realm and the Troll's realm will be lifted. So, then I cast a spell to see them and... take it from there."

"Ok. And how do you reset the time?"

"You break the crystal border. Ok, now will you read this with me? I want to make sure it works, so having some extra witch magic could help."

"Well where's Katie?"

"She is in the process of looking for a job. So I didn't want to bother her." Ian picked up the Book and held it in front of them both. "Ready?"

Allison nodded and they began to read. "Inside the border of crystals three, let magic here flow within. Allow the hands of time to spin, and make midnight the hour that we see."

The whole room glowed and then everything went back to normal. "Did it work?" Allison asked.

A glass that was sitting on the bar suddenly fell off and smashed into a hundred pieces on the floor. "Oh yeah," Ian said. "It worked. The trolls are here." He quickly flipped to a page he had marked and then started to read the spell that was printed on it. "In this 'tween time this darkest hour, I call upon the sacred power. In this place I stand alone, commanding the unseen to be shown. In innocence I search the skies, enchanted are my newfound eyes." 

Ian looked around and suddenly saw ten Trolls in the room. They hung from lights, sat on tables, and raced across the floor. They looked at Ian and laughed a hissing laughter.

"Hey there little Troll guys. I see you." Ian smiled, but then it faded as two Trolls blasted across the room at super speed and grabbed Ian by the legs. They pulled and he fell to the floor, grunting in pain.

"Ian!" Allison went to freeze the Trolls, but they sped away and hid behind some chairs. "Ian, their too fast. I can't freeze them."

Ian got up and then a Troll dropped on to his head, laughing insanely. He tried to grab the Troll, but it hopped of his head was across the room in a split second.

"Ian, help!"

Ian looked over at Allison. Trolls were spinning around her. Ripping at her clothes, pulling her hair, and pinching her legs. "Oh, that is it!" Ian shot out his hands to blow them up, yet the Trolls were yet again too fast. Ian sighed and then looked at Allison. Her hair was messed up, her clothes were torn, and she had a huge frown on her face. "Maybe this isn't going to be as easy as I thought."

~*~*~

Katie slammed down the phone after being hung-up on for the fourth time that day. Her job search was not going well in the least. "He thinks I don't seem to have the qualifications for a job like that? It's a desk job! I fight demons everyday and he doesn't think I can handle a desk job?!" She fumed and sat down heavily in the kitchen chair. A moment later she heard the front door slam. "Looks like I'm not the only angry one...."

"You are damn right about that," Ian said as he came into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

"Well, tell me what's wrong," Katie responded.

"You'll see." Ian then looked upwards. "Rob! Rob, get down here!"

Blue orbs spun around and Rob appeared. "What's the problem?"

Ian gave a harsh laugh. "The problem is that you forgot to mention one small little fact. That these Trolls have super speed!"

"Um," Rob said, "You didn't ask?"

"Rob, because you didn't tell me that they did have that power, I was not ready. The little things were so fast I couldn't even blow them up, Allison couldn't freeze them, and the whole thing was one big waste. Now I have to come up with a way to compensate for their speed."

"Hey," Katie said, raising up her hand. "Remember the rat demons?"

Ian snorted. "How could I forget? What about them?"

"Well we used a potion on them that diminished their super speed. Why not try it on the Trolls?"

Ian thought for a moment. "You know, that just might work. You still remember how to make that potion?"

"I'll check the Book." Katie got up from the table.

"Oh, it's on the foyer table. I set it down there when I came in."

Katie nodded. "Gotcha." She then left the kitchen.

"So," Ian said, turning back to Rob, "Any word on our undead Gypsy?"

"No, sorry. Not yet. The Elders are still looking."

"Ok, well keep checking." 

Rob nodded and then orbed out.

Ian looked at the paper with the job ads on it. There were a bunch of marks all over it. Katie had obviously been looking through it quite extensively. Ian's eyes then lit up and he jumped up and ran out to the foyer. "Hey, Kate!"

Katie was just making her way up the stairs, but she stopped and turned to look at her brother. "What?"

"Well... I know how you are looking for a job and all and I had an idea."

Katie raised an eyebrow. "Which was what?"

"Um... well, I thought that maybe you could work at the club with me." Ian smiled, hopeful.

"Work. At the club. With you."

"Yeah. Beth has been asking for some time off and hey, it's a fun place to work. Plus you'll be working with me."

"No, I'll be working for you. You would be my boss. There is a difference."

Ian disregarded the comment with a wave of his hand. "Pfft! I wouldn't boss you around." 

Katie raised her eyebrow again. "Really. You wouldn't?"

"No... no way. And come on Katie, we work together all the time. What's the big deal?"

"We vanquish demons together."

"Vanquishing demons, serving drinks. Same thing in my book. Now come on. At least just try it. I can... give you an audition. And if you fail I will fire your ass. How does that sound?"

Katie smiled after a moment. "Ok, whatever."

"Great! So let's go an get you settled in." Ian grabbed his coat off of the coat peg and started to put it on.

"Uh, Ian," Katie said, hefting the Book. "What about the potion for the Trolls?"

"Uh, we can make that later. They won't bother us right now. It's day time. Now hurry up. Your audition starts... Now!"  
  


~*~*~

"Now? You want us to start now?" The old Gypsy frowned at Feran.

"Yes, right away. We can't waste any time. These witches must be destroyed."

"But the type of magic that you are asking us to do is very tricky stuff. Some of the members here do not even know how to do it."

"Well teach them." Feran ground his teeth and glared with a piercing stare. "And quickly. Or else...."

"Or else what?" asked the Gypsy, standing to her full height, which was not that tall, but she looked menacing.

"Or else the witches will get here and kill you all. Is that what you want?"

"...No. No, I do not want that."

"Good. Then get to work and cast your Voo-doo curse on those witches."

The Gypsy nodded and then hobbled away.

~*~*~

"Now all the taps are set up alphabetically by brand, so there shouldn't be any trouble there. Ice is to the left of the taps and if someone wants water it comes out here." Ian was directing Kate through the bar, showing her everything she would need to know. "Oh, and when you serve, try to be nice. People tip more that way."

Katie grinned. "Check. Flirt with the customers."

"No flirting."

"Aw, come on. Just because you don't do it doesn't man it should be forbidden. And... what if the guy is really cute?"

Ian rolled his eyes. "Ok, you can flirt. But only if it sells more." He winked and then continued on with the orientation. "Now we don't serve food here, so if anyone asks, there you go. The only thing we have is peanuts. One bowl at each end of the bar, unless someone asks specifically. There are smaller bowls under the counter and the peanuts are stocked next to them."

"Do I get to eat them for free?"

Ian glanced at his sister. "Everyone gets them for free."

"Oh. Well then it isn't worth it. What about drinks? Do I get those for free?"

"Katie, you are my sister and I am the owner. You have always gotten drinks for free!"

"Well, now that I work here, I get them for free because of that fact. Not because I am your sister."

Ian sighed. "Ok. Whatever." Katie smiled.  
  


~*~*~

Pink, purple, and green smoke filled the Gypsy tent. It curled up from a fire that roared under a bubbling pot that was full of a red foaming liquid. Three elderly Gypsies sat around it, linking hands and chanting. One of them was the Eldest Gypsy. She broke the chant after a minute and the picked up a small doll. It had a striking resemblance to Katie.

"I enchant this doll with Voo-doo magic," the old Gypsy croaked. "Let our will flow into and become real."

The three of them began to chant again. One of them took a ladle and filled it with the liquid from the pot. She dribbled a tiny bit of it on the Katie doll and the laid it aside.

The Eldest picked up some string and began to slowly wrap it around the doll's legs. "May her legs entwine, and may her feet trip. As we will it... so it shall be!"  
  


~*~*~  
  


Katie was coming out of the storage room with an open box of glasses when she suddenly tripped over her own feet. She fell to hard floor and the box went flying out of her hands. The glasses dropped out of it and shattered as they hit the floor, spilling razor sharp shards of glass all over.

"Oh crap! Katie!" Ian came running over and helped his sister up. "Oh man, those are going to have to be replaced. What happened?"

Katie rubbed her elbow that she had hit when she landed. "I was coming out of the storage room and I was tripped."

"You were tripped? By what?"

"I don't know." Katie shrugged. "My feet just suddenly moved and tripped each other up."

"Oh... the Trolls. Right, they can exist in our realm before midnight when they are in an Œtween', like a doorway. They must have done it."

"I told you we should have made that potion before we came here." Katie crossed her arms. "But you wouldn't listen."

"Yeah, yeah. Well we have work to do right now. We have to clean up that glass and I have to order more now..."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault."

"Yeah, I know. Trolls. Ok... let's just move really quickly through doorways until we have time to go make that potion."

Katie nodded. "Ok."

~*~*~

"Well?" Feran asked as Mayron came up to him.

"They have started the ceremony. And it is already working. The female witch is already tripping over her own feet."

Feran chuckled. "Good. Tell them to keep it up. I want to attack the witches tonight. And they have to be weak and confused."

Mayron nodded slowly and looked down at the grassy ground under their feet. "After... after you kill the witches. What will you do then?"

"Once I kill these witches the east coast will be all but unprotected. They are the strongest witches on this side of the country. With them out of the way... I will rule."

"And what about me?" Mayron asked, looking up at the demon that stood before her. "What do I get out of this?"

"Well," Feran said, drawing Mayron close. "I wouldn't object to having a Queen at my side. We seem to understand each other, my dear. We... connect."

"We do?"

Feran nodded. "Oh yeah." He then kissed Mayron, holding the kiss for a long moment. It was full of lust and passion.

After a moment they broke the kiss. "Well," Mayron said, blushing slightly. "I guess being Queen wouldn't be so bad."

"Ok then." Feran stepped back and pointed to the tent, where smoke was wafting out of the opening. "Tell them to keep it up. If they don't do they job right, then the witches won't be killed. And then you won't get to be Queen."

"All right. I'll tell them."

"Good." Feran then turned away and walked into the dense forest of trees.

~*~*~

Ian shook his head as he looked down at another pile of broken glass. Katie had been tripping up over her feet for just about an hour. And she now had bruises all over. "Kate, I don't think this is the work of Trolls."

"What? Why? I don't do this. I am not this clumsy. It has to be the Trolls." Katie flinched as she put a bandage over a cut on her arm that she had gotten in the last fall.

"But you are not just tripping when you go through doorways. You are tripping up everywhere. And to tell you the truth, it is costing me a lot of money."

Katie glared at her brother. "I'm telling you. It's not my fault!"

Ian held up his hands in defense. "Ok, ok. Just please, try to be more careful. I can't afford anymore broken glasses." He then went back to his office and sat down at the desk. Suddenly he felt an intense pain in both his hands. He looked down and yelled out. His fingers had melded together and were stuck.

"What is it?!" Katie came running into the office, tripping over her feet and landing on the floor. She groaned in pain and then stood up. "Ok... what is it?"

Ian held up his hands for Katie to see. "Maybe it isn't Trolls."  
  


~*~*~

The old Gypsy set aside the roll of scotch tape that she had used to wrap up the hands of the doll that resembled Ian. Feran stood near the entrance to the tent with his arms folded over his chest. "Well what did that do?"

The Gypsy looked up at Feran and gave him a look that would scare hair off a cat. "I know what I am doing. And THAT just melded the male witch's fingers together. Now her won't be able to activate his power of explosion."

"Oh. Well good work. But the other witch. Sure she has been tripping up on her own feet, but I need something more for her."

"And I have just the thing." The old Gypsy picked up a needle and thread.

"What's that for?"

"Stop asking so many questions. I am going to sew her mouth shut. That way she won't be able to cast spells. Now, please, I must concentrate."

Feran sighed, turned on his heel, and started to walk out. "Just hurry up. I am not a patient demon."

~*~*~

Katie and Ian orbed into the attic of the manor and Ian quickly made his way over to the Book Of Shadows. "Ok," he said, trying to grasp the cover of the Book and open it with his now deformed hands. "We have to find something... but we won't be able to if I can't even open the Book!"

"Here, let me." Katie started to walk over, but her feet got wrapped around each other and she fell flat on her face. "...Ow."

"Oh... you ok?"

"Yeah, fine." Katie pushed herself up and carefully made her way over to her brother. She opened the Book and began to page through it. "Ok, so I am tripping like a fool and your hands have melded together. So what is happening?"

Ian shook his head. "All I can think of is that it is some kind of curse or hex."

"Well let's--" Katie was suddenly cut off.

"What? What's the matter?" Ian looked at Katie's mouth and gasped. "Oh my god... Kate! Your mouth!"

Katie's mouth was sewing itself up and she was trying frantically to stop it. But to no avail. In moments it was fully sealed up.

"Oh, that's it. We need Rob."

Rob orbed in at that moment. "Hey, I have some... Whoa, what happened to you guys?"

Ian sighed. "We don't know. Something has cursed us or something. Now, what do you know?"

"Well the Elders think that the Gypsy was brought back to life by a demon."

Katie murmured something, trying to speak.

"Yeah, what she said. Can a demon really do that?"

"A type of demon can. An Alchemist demon, to be precise. And it looks like you guys have been hit by a Voo-doo curse."

Ian frowned. "How do you know that?"

"Gypsies are well trained in old magics, such as Voo-doo. So it would be right to assume that this is it. But it would have to be a very powerful Gypsy to do this."

Katie snorted.

"Yeah, damn right. That first Gypsy was too young to be that powerful. So she must be working with this demon and some of her fellow Gypsies."

Rob nodded. "And you need to find them fast. Because with your hands like that you can't use your power. And with Katie's mouth sealed she can't cast spells. So if the demon attacks..."

"Then we're screwed. Got it."

"I'm going to go see if the Elders have any suggestions. I'll try to be back soon." He then orbed out.

Katie sighed through her nose and sat down heavily on one of the attic's couches.

"Don't worry, Kate," Ian said. "We can do this."

~*~*~

Mayron came up to Feran and smiled. "The old Gypsy says that everything is going quite well. Yet she also says that she can sense the witches looking for a way to figure this all out. She says that their whitelighter has informed them of you. They know what you are."

Feran laughed. "It is of no matter now. You and I will attack soon. And with the female witch's mouth sewed up they won't be able to cast the spell to vanquish me. This will work out fine. You will see."

"Can I come with you on the attack? I can be useful."

"I wouldn't dream about going without you, Mayron. You know that. I have to have my Queen at my side at all times."

"And I just can't wait to be Queen..." Mayron leaned in to kiss Feran, but he pulled away.

"Not now. We must prepare for the attack. We have to be ready... We have to make sure that by tonight there will be two more dead witches."

~*~*~

"Alchemists have the ability to transform anything, like water into gold and energy into matter. They can also bring things back to life." Ian nodded to himself as he looked down at the Book Of Shadows page. "We have our demon. Oh, and look! There is a vanquishing spell. ... Oh, but we need both of us to say it." 

Ian looked at his sister who was still sitting on the dusty couch. She shrugged him and gave a look that obviously meant, "Now what?"

"Well... I could try to get a premonition some how." He thought to himself for a moment and them clumsily flipped the pages of the Book Of Shadows. He landed on the page with a description of Gypsies on it. Laying his melded hands down on the page Ian relaxed his body and closed his eyes.

A flash of light went through Ian's mind. He saw a sign that said Central Park. Then another that said North Bike Trail. There was then a flurry of images filled with happenings of an old Gypsy in a smoke filled tent. She held two dolls that looked almost exactly like Ian and Katie in her withered hands.

The images faded and Ian opened his eyes. He took a moment to catch his breath and then turned to Katie. "Ok, grab that vanquishing spell. We are going to Central Park."  
  


~*~*~

"All right. It's time." Feran stood alongside Mayron in the dimmed tent. The old Gypsy sat next to the fire with the Voo-doo dolls propped on her lap.

"Going so soon are you," asked the Gypsy. She smiled slightly at Feran and her eyes twinkled.

"We have to go now. While they are weak." Feran was about to take Mayron and shimmer out when a blue light filled the small space.

Katie orbed in with Ian, just three feet from the demon. She murmured something dark and Ian nodded.

"You got that right, sis. Now let's kick some ass."

Feran grinned. "Ah, you have come to me instead of me having to go to you. How nice. But you are weak now. You can't stop me."

"Wanna bet? Kate, go for it."

Katie swung her arm and Feran was knocked back. He crashed into a low table and crumpled it. Katie smiled as best as she could and nodded to Ian.

Ian stepped forward just as Mayron did. "I don't need my power to stop you," he said. Ian then unleashed a whip lashing kick that sent Mayron to the dirt covered ground. "Please," Ian said, turning to the old Gypsy. "You have to help us. We need to destroy that demon, but we can't if my sister can't read the spell."

The old Gypsy stared at Ian, her eyes unsure.

Feran then got to his feet. There was a bloody gash on his arm. "No! Now I am going to need all the strength I can get." He turned to Mayron who had just gotten up. "Sorry babe."

"What? ... No! I thought I was going to be your Queen!"

Feran shook his head. "No, I was just going to kill you along with the rest of the Gypsy tribe. I told you. I don't want anyone around me with enough magic that they could turn against me."

"But... you can't kill me." Mayron started to back away.

"Oh, yeah I can. I can take life as easily as I can give it. To bad for you." Feran then held out his hand and Mayron glowed, then fell to the ground, dead. Feran turned to Ian and Katie. And now it's your turn."

"Oh no you don't!" The old Gypsy stood up and raised the dolls into the air. She then threw them into the boiling pot and there was a loud bang.

Katie's mouth was suddenly back to normal, as well as Ian's hands. "All right! I can talk."

Ian quickly moved next to his sister and pulled out the vanquishing spell. "Celebrate later, vanquish now!"

They then began to read the spell as Feran tried to advance on them. "Let flesh be flesh and bone be bone, this alchemist shall transform none. Cruel scientist of evil born, with these words face the fire's scorn."

"No! I was betrayed! I could have had you! The east coast was mine!!!" Feran then exploded in a burst of flame, leaving nothing behind.

Ian turned to the old Gypsy and smiled. "Thank you."

She shook her head. "No, thank you. It is because of you two that Furan's evil will not spread. And also, you have saved me from corrupting my soul. I almost did by helping that demon."

"But you saved us. I think that earns some good credit," Katie said.

"Yes. Now... I sense that you have another problem to deal with. I shall keep you no longer then."

Katie glanced at her brother. "Potion time?"

Ian nodded. "You've got it."

~*~*~

Ian threw the potion into the crowd of Trolls that had appeared after casting the two spells from before. They tried to run but Ian held up his hands, threateningly. "Oh no you don't! You're little speed act is over. And I can vanquish you like with a flick of my fingers."

The Trolls stopped and looked up at him. They were fearful and none of them was laughing.

"Now," Katie said, "I suggest that you get on back to your own realm and never come back to this club. 'Cause if you do you will have to deal with us. And we can always make more of that potion we just threw. So, what will it be?"

The Trolls looked at one another and then all vanished as one.

"Hey, that was a nice little speech, Kate."

Katie shrugged. "At least I can actually speak now. I tell you, having your mouth sewn up is NOT fun."

"Oh, I can imagine. But at least we are all fine now. And we also know that it wasn't just you being clumsy that made you drop all those glasses."

"Yeah. I'm not that much of a butterfingers." She laughed. "By the way... how did I do on my audition. Supernatural effects aside, though."

"Well, I would have to say that... you've got yourself a job, little sister."

"Yay!" Katie grabbed Ian in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Oh, ow! Can't breathe here!"

Katie let go and smiled, sheepishly. "Sorry."

"It's fine. I just didn't think you would be that excited. Especially since you seemed so against this in the first place."

"Well I am that excited. And I think that this working together thing will go just fine... Boss."


	21. Mjollnir

The archeologist gently wiped the dirt off of a large box he had just dug out of the ground. His eyes sparkled as he examined the markings. The box was made of stone and it was very old. Several cracks had formed, but it was still intact.

He began to open it; carefully and gently. Pulling off the lid he set it aside and looked into the box. There was a hammer, the only item within. It had many ancient markings on it and was covered in dust and dirt. But it still gleamed in the light of several lanterns that had been hung up.

"Wow," the archeologist said with awe. "This thing must be thousands of years old. But it is in such good condition." He turned to several other archeologists that were scraping away at other things among the room. "Hey guys. Can ya give me a hand here? I want to get this thing to a museum as soon as possible."

As he and several others lifted the box and began to carry it away, a pair of eyes watched from the dark shadows. Only eyes, no body. They closed and then disappeared.

In a deep cavern of the Underworld a demon sat at a stone table, ravenously eating several forms of meat.

As he continued to eat smoke began to form on the other side of the table. It compressed into a human shape and became a woman. "My son," she said, smiling. "I have found it. I have found Mjollnir, the hammer of Thor."

---

"I stand in the pouring rain. You couldn't even be there to pick me up! You're taking me for granted again. You're running out of time, and you're out of luck! Just a moment of weakness. I should examine my head! Just a moment of weakness. I never meant a word I said!"

Katie watched Bif Naked play their song "Moment Of Weakness" from behind the bar. Ian had been ordering her around all night and she was really wanting to take a little break and actually enjoy the band. Sure, it was a really busy night and Ian really had to be on the ball when the place was packed, but he was going overboard and being just plain rude.

"Hey, Kate. I don't pay you to sit around all night. There are customers here who want to order some drinks and I can't handle them myself." Ian came up next to his sister and she turned to look at him. He pointed down the bar where there were several people trying to get Katie's attention. "They are waiting for you. Now get going!" Ian then turned away and started off towards his office.

Katie rolled her eyes, got off her stool that she had been sitting on, and rushed over to the customers. "Sorry to keep you waiting. What can I get you?" Everyone started to talk at once, yelling out the drinks that they wanted. Katie could make out a word of any of it. "Hey, one at a time please!" she yelled. But no one listened.

"I want three bottles of Bud Light!"

"A shot of brandy!"

"Martini, please! Hello?!"

Katie held her head as everyone's yelling overwhelmed her. Finally she just shot out her hands and the whole room froze. Everything had stopped. The band, the dancers, even the spit that had shot out of one man's mouth when he had been shouting. Katie dropped her hands to her sides and sighed with relief. "Much better."

A door opened off to the side and Ian came out of his office. He looked around at all the frozen people and then glared at Katie. "What are you doing?" he asked, obviously angry as he stomped over to the bar. He glanced at the spit that hung in the air, made a face, then took a napkin and quickly grabbed the spit with it and flung it into a nearby trash can.

"I am taking a little break from all the noise and orders. And this is the perfect way to do it, I might add."

"Kate, I don't have time for this. The band is on the clock, I have work to do, and you are playing with your magic."

Katie gasped, shocked. "Playing? I am trying to get a little bit of peace. And all you have done the whole night is yell at me and boss me around."

"I'm your boss!"

Katie slammed her hand down on the counter. "Yeah? Well not anymore. I quit!" She then grabbed her brother and pushed him down behind the bar. Then with a wave of her hands the club unfroze and the noise started again. "Sorry!" she said loudly to the customers. "I don't work here anymore as of now. Bye!" Katie then grabbed her jacket off her stool and stomped her way out of King's Corner.

---

"What do you mean you have found the hammer of Thor?" The demon wiped his mouth with his ragged sleeve and stared at his mother; his mother Desmeria.   
She was a very powerful demon. It ran in her family. Desmeria could dissipate into a gray, ghostly smoke, which she also used as her transportation. When in her smoky form she could enter a victims body through the nose or mouth and then suffocate them from the inside. Along with this, Desmeria could draw on dark energy to form Shadow Balls, which were much like the common energy ball, but in a different form and they were much stronger.

"I mean, Shokan, that after searching for hundreds of years I have found the one item that can make you very powerful. And can regain my family's status in demon society.   
Shokan snorted. He always flinched when his mother said his name. It meant "Weak One", and he hated it. He also got a feeling of horrible loathing whenever his mother went on one of her rants about how their family had been respected by the rest of their kind, and had been part of the Demon Hierarchy. The he, Shokan, had been born and had ruined everything. He had been born with a dormant gene; the gene that made his mother and the rest of their family so powerful. The only powers he had were shimmering and low voltage energy balls. But still... his mother's discovery intrigued him.

"A team of archeologists found it less than an hour ago," Desmeria continued. "I had been watching them since I had a feeling that that tomb was the right one. And it was. Now all I need to do is find out where they are taking it." She spun around with glee, wisps of smoke wafting off of her.

Shokan didn't smile. He was not that happy. His mother was only glad because she might finally be popular again and get her old demon friends back. Ever since their family had been shunned because of him Desmeria had been searching for something that would give Shokan enough power to make him as strong as any other demon. "So, what's so great about this hammer?"

Desmeria stopped spinning. "What's so great? Do you not pay any attention at all?! Even hermits know that Mjollnir, the hammer of Thor, has great power. It gave the god magnificent strength. And it also could destroy enemies by sending powerful blasts of lightning from itself. What's so great... puh!"

Twisting his mouth, Shokan started to eat again. "Whatever," he said. He didn't really care if he was powerful or not. He didn't care if other demons respected him. He only wanted for his mother to one day not look at him like something that had just crawled out of the sewer. And speaking of rats... Shokan formed an energy ball in his hand and then whipped it across the room, hitting a rat that was scampering across the floor. The rodent dropped dead on the spot, it's fur charred slightly. "Dinner is on for tonight," he said, laughing. Shokan grinned and looked up his mother.

She glared at him and curled her lip as she always did. "Disgusting. I can't believe you would think of eating such a thing. If your father was here..."

"Father is dead!" Shokan slammed his hands down on the table, causing his cup to fall over and spill its contents. But Shokan took no notice. "Father is dead and he is not coming back. So don't mention him." Shokan's father had been vanquished by witches twenty years before. Great pain had haunted the young demon's heart for a long time before it had hardened and become cold.

Shokan's father was the only one that seemed to have liked him. He didn't seem to care that his song was just about as weak as a mortal. And he didn't really care up being respected by other demons either. He just liked to have great fun and kill beings of light. Shokan had no idea why his mother had married him. They had been complete opposites.   
Desmeria looked away. "Fine. I'll be back later. I don't want to see any dead rats on the floor when I get back. And clean up the rest of this mess!" Her body then became a smokey mass and then she was gone.

Shokan looked down at the table. Then in a burst of rage he grabbed his plate and threw it across the room, where it smashed in several shards against the stone wall.

---

The next morning Katie sat with Rob in the living room. Ian had already left for work and the two siblings had not said one word to one another since the night before. Katie sighed and sipped her coffee. She had called Rob so that she could talk to him about Ian. But she didn't know what to say. So she just sat there, staring out one of the windows where the morning light streamed in through the curtains.

Rob cleared his throat to get Katie to look at him. "Kate... you called me here for a reason. I can tell that you want to talk and you can. I am your Whitelighter, you can tell me anything and you won't have to worry about me telling anyone else."

Katie twisted her mouth into a slight grin. "Whitelighter confidentiality?"

"Exactly. So come on. What's up?"

Katie shifted her position and sighed again. "It's about Ian," she finally said.

Rob's brow furrowed in concern. "Ian? Is there something wrong with him? I mean I think I would sense that, but—"

"It's not a supernatural thing," Katie interrupted. "It's just that last night we had a fight and I quit my job at the club."

"Well that was short lived."

"Hello, supposed to be helping here."

Rob smiled. "Sorry. Go on."

"Ok... Well any ways, since then we haven't talked. And I know that we fight all the time, but this just felt different. I don't know... He was just being a major bossy jerk."   
"What was he doing?"

"Telling me what to do." Katie took another sip of her coffee and glanced again out the window.

"Isn't that what a boss is supposed to do?"

Katie turned back to Rob and glared. "Well, yeah, but he said before that he wouldn't treat me like he was my boss. And he kept yelling at me. And I just couldn't take all the yelling of the customers either, so I froze the place. That's when Ian got really mad."

"I don't think that using your powers to make things quieter was the best idea. Personal gain..."

Rolling her eyes, Katie said, "Yeah, I know. But I was getting really annoyed."

"But if someone had walked into the club you could have been exposed."

"But no one did!" Katie shook her head. Rob was acting exactly like Ian had the night before. Telling her that she was wrong. _Well I wasn't wrong_, she thought to herself.

Rob held up his hand. "Ok, I'm sorry. But I think that you realized last night that that job was just not the one for you. And that maybe you and Ian can vanquish demons together, but can't work together at a real job. Especially where one of you is the other's boss."

Katie nodded slowly, taking in what Rob had said. "You know, I think you are right. The job that is right for me is the one I had before. Before I was fired."

"Yeah, what exactly happened with that?" Rob asked, his face wearing a confused expression.

"We went on vacation, I fell in love with a guy named Nate, stayed there for a month. And after I got back I found out that I had been fired from my job. Apparently, not coming in for over a month makes the boss not too happy." Kate grinned.

"So what are you going to do now?"

Katie stared down in to her coffee mug for a moment before answering. "I think I am going to try and get my old job back. I'll beg if I have to."

Rob laughed. "Ok. Is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Actually there is."

"Ok," Rob said. "What is it?"

"Well I have been wondering for quite some time now. You, a Whitelighter, have the power to orb. But so do I. And in the Book it says that only Whitelighters can orb... so how do I have it?"

Rob sighed. "I knew you were going to ask me this at some point."

"Ok, well now answer it."

"Well.... your father was a half-whitelighter, half-witch. Not many people knew because the Elders wanted to keep it quiet. You see, Witch/Whitelighter marriages are not looked upon too fondly by the Elders. Your father's parents got married and had him in secret, and after he was born there was nothing they could do."

Realization came onto Katie's face. "Oh... I get it now. So I am part Whitelighter. I got the witch powers from my Mom and the orbing power from my Dad."

Rob nodded. "That's right."

"But what about Ian? He doesn't have any Whitelighter powers."

"That's because the Whitelighter gene in him is recessive. The blood is still there, but witch powers were dominant in him."

"Ok. Makes sense. But how come you didn't tell me about this before?"

Rob smiled. "You didn't ask. Anything else?"

Katie shook her head. "Nope. That's it."

"Ok, I'll see you later then. Talk to Ian, though. You two have to be on good terms with one another. Especially if a demon attacks." He then orbed out.

---

"Is something wrong?"

Ian looked up from his keyboard. Allison sat at her desk, staring at him. "Wrong? No, why would there be?"

"Because you have barely talked at all since you got here and have had that look on your face."

"What face?"

"The one you get whenever you are mad about something and don't want to talk about it," Allison said.

Ian put his face in his hands. "Ugh, how do you know me so well?"

"Lots and lots of practice." Allison got up from her desk and came around to stand behind Ian's chair. She started to rub his shoulders. "Now, tell me all about it."

"Well," Ian said, putting his hands down, "Katie is being an idiot."

"Ian!" Allison hit him lightly on the head.

"Ow! Hey, I thought you were trying to help." Spinning around in his chair, Ian glared at Allison.

"Sorry," Allison said. She turned him back around and continued with the shoulder massage. "Go on."

"Ok, well last night she got all pissy and quit on me. And now there are a whole bunch of spots I have to fill. I am going to have to work over time or try to beg Beth to put in some extra hours." Ian sighed. "See, this is why there is that two weeks notice rule."

"Well then impose that on her."

He shook his head. "I can't do that. She's my sister. But I don't get why she did quit. It was just so sudden."

"Are you sure you didn't do anything that would make her want to quit?" Allison asked.

"I don't think so. I just asked her to go help some customers... well I kinda yelled that. And then she froze the place and I told her, well yelled, that she couldn't do that."

"So you did a lot of yelling. Don't you think that that could be the reason she quit?"

Ian thought for a moment. "Maybe. But she was just being really lazy. Hello, it was a band night. We are really busy and we need to be working the whole time."

"How long had she been working?"

"About five hours before our argument happened."

"Did she get any break during that time?"

".... Um... no?"

Allison nodded her head and stopped rubbing Ian's shoulders. "Well there you go. She really needed a break and you didn't let her have one. I bet that is what got her all mad." She went back and sat down at her desk. "I think you need to apologize to her."

Ian's mouth dropped open. "Me? She was the one who—" 

"Ian," Allison cut him off. "Whenever there is a fight between a woman and a man, it is _always _the man's fault."

"Oh that is so cheap. Look, I will apologize for not giving her a break, but she was also in the wrong. Now let's get to work." He picked up a letter out of one of the boxes that sat around and opened it.   
"Dear Ian and Allison," Ian started. "My brother and I fight with each other all the time. And it seems like all other siblings do the same. Do you think that sibling rivalry is a universal thing? That no matter what, all siblings will fight? Please tell me your opinion's on this subject. Sincerely, Mary Donson."

Ian gave a wry smile as he set the letter down. "What a coincidence."

---

"Shokan, catch!"

Shokan snatched the rock out of the air that was throw to him and ran across the dirt covered floor towards a section that had been marked as the touchdown area. Humans were not the only ones that enjoyed football. Yet demons played the game in a different way.

Diving to the ground, Shokan just barely made it out of the way of a stunning energy ball. He quickly scrambled to his feet, for the opposing team was coming for him. "You can't catch me." Shokan ran and ran, leaving his buddies in the dust. But just as he was about to reach the touchdown line a voice called out his name.

"Shokan! What are you doing?!"

Shokan skidded to a stop and turned to see his mother standing there. Her arms were crossed and she had that look on her face that meant trouble. "Mother, what are you doing he—" Wham! Shokan was knocked over as he was hit with an energy ball. He felt like his whole body had gone to sleep; his legs and arms tingled. The next thing he knew, several of his friends piled on top of him.

"Heh, you didn't make it Shokan," his friend called Ripper said, laughing. He was on the other team.

As the effects of the energy ball wore off, and his friends stood up, Shokan got to his feet. He looked at his mother and then instantly looked down.

"What are you doing messing around with this riff raff? Is this anyway for us to be respected once again when you are hanging around with low life demons?"

"Hey!" Shokan looked up and stared right into his mother's eyes. "These are my friends. You have no right to talk about them that way."

Desmeria smirked. "They are not your friends any longer. For I have found out where..." She glanced at Shokan's friends for a moment before continuing. "... Where you-know-who are taking you-know-what. Now come along. We have to go prepare." She then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Shokan looked and his friends and shrugged. "Sorry guys. I guess the games off for today." He dropped the rock that they had been using for a football and the shimmered out.

Moments later he reappeared in his home. Desmeria sat at the table, her hands clasped together. "Mother, don't ever talk about my friends that way again. Or else..."

"Or else what?" Desmeria got to her feet and glided over to Shokan. "You'll stop me? Remember my darling, I hold all the cards of power here. Now, enough about all that. The Hammer. I know where they are taking it."

Rolling his eyes, Shokan took a seat. "Where?"

"To New York city. Once it is set up in the museum, stealing it will be a snap. And once it is ours we will regain our status in the Underworld."

Shokan sighed. "Yeah... that's wonderful."

---

"Thank you so much Mr. Knight. I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks again. Bye." Katie hung up the cordless phone and dropped it down on the couch next to her where she sat. A smile came over her face. She had just scheduled an appointment with her old boss to see if she might have a chance to get her job back.

A moment later she heard the front door close and Ian came into the room. They both stayed quiet for a minute until Ian spoke up. "Um... hi."

Katie's smile had faded. "Hi."

"Yeah... Um, I just kinda wanted to say that I am sorry about last night. I was a little hard on you."

Katie snorted. "A little?"

Ian's face turned dark at that remark, his temper beginning to boil. "Hey, you had work to do. And you were not doing it! I am not your baby-sitter. I tell you what to do and you go do it. That's what you do at a job."

"No, you didn't tell me. You yelled. A lot. And I just decided it wasn't right for me." Katie crossed her arms and slouched down into the couch.

Throwing up his arms Ian let out an angry growl. "Ok, you decided that. But you CAN'T just quit on the spot."

"I can and I did."

"No, there is this thing called a two week notice. Now other hard workers, like Beth and myself have to do some over time work all because of you! I don't even know why I try and talk to you about this. You just don't get it!" Ian then turned on his heal and left the manor, slamming the door behind him.

---

The following morning Katie sat in her room eating a bowl of cereal. She didn't want to run in to Ian at all, so she had quickly gotten her breakfast and hurried back up to her room.

As she munched she had the radio turned on in the background as she read the morning newspaper. "And today a new artifact arrives at the New York National Museum," the male reporter announced, soundly slightly bored. "Sources say that it is an ancient hammer from thousands of years ago as far as can be told. The hammer will be set up in an exhibit along with several other similar materials tonight and everyone will be able to view it starting tomorrow morning. Check the museum's web site for their hours. And in sports..."

She heard the front door slam, meaning Ian had left. Katie sighed and set her bowl on her bedside table. "Well. I guess I better get ready for that interview."

---

Pushing through the revolving doors Ian made his way into The Central office building. He walked briskly across the marble floor, not paying attention to anything really. He was still fumed about Katie's ignorance and reluctance to take responsibility for things. He wished there was some way to get through to her.

"Oh, look out!"

Ian suddenly slammed into a women, making her drop a large pile of files that she had been holding. Papers flew all over the floor, and the women quickly bent down to retrieve them.

"I am so sorry," Ian said. "I wasn't thinking." He bent down as well to help her.

"That's alright. I'm fine."

Ian handed her a file and then reached for that day's issue of The Central that she had also dropped. As his hand touched it Ian's eyes flew shut. Several images of the New York National Museum sped through his mind. Then he saw a dim room. Several artifacts were being set up for an exhibit. Ian's view shot forward and twisted around, showing a very old looking hammer. The scene changed; it was the same room, but it was dark. Nighttime. A woman appeared in a great wisp of smoke and she glided across the room towards a glass case that held the hammer. She smiled and her hand then reached right through the case and her hand grasped the long handle.

Ian opened his eyes as the images faded just as suddenly as they had come. The woman the he had bumped into was just picking up a file that she had been reaching for when Ian's vision had started.

_Man,_ he thought. _My premonitions seem to take a lot longer than they actually are in "real time."_ He looked at the paper and near the bottom was a small article of the hammer arriving at the museum and being set on display right after closing that night.

"Excuse me." Ian glanced over and saw the woman holding out her hand to him. "My paper, please."

"Heh," Ian said with a small laugh. "Sorry. Here." He handed her the newspaper and she stood up and walked away. Ian stood up himself and then sighed. "Looks like a demon has a date with a hammer. And it's gonna be my job to crash that little party. On my own."

---

"So, what makes you think that I can trust you to not go off on another month long vacation?"

Katie sat in Mr. Knight's office. She sat tall and confident, even though he was sending blow after blow at her. "That was a very trying moment in my life. And I am truly sorry for not contacting you or anything. But trust me. There isn't even enough money for me to go on another vacation anytime soon."

Mr. Knight nodded slowly. "But will you still be leaving at all times, having flimsy or no explanations?"

"Uh... my family has a lot of emergencies. Yet I will do my best to be here when I need to be." Katie's confidence broke down some and her face relaxed. "Please, Mr. Knight. I know that this job is right for me. If you can just give me another chance, I can prove that to you."

There was a few moments of silence. Then Mr. Knight sighed. "I'll give you a call. Good day Ms. King."

Katie slowly got up from her seat. As she opened the door to leave she looked back at Mr. Knight. "Thank you, sir." Katie went out and closed the door behind her.

---

"Ok, I wanted to do this on my own. I can handle one demon, you know."

"Yes, but I came anyway." Allison stuck her tongue out at Ian. He had told her of his premonition and she had insisted she come with him that night.

They now stood in a darkened hallway of the museum. They had hidden out in the building until it had closed. Now the two were outside the Security Control room. Yet Allison was in the form of a Security guard, so as they would not be suspected by anyone if they were seen.

Ian sighed. "Ok, I guess I did need some help. Your glamoring power and freezing power really help in this case."

"You wouldn't have needed me if you had talked to Katie. She could have orbed you both in and frozen the guard."

"Look, I don't really want to work with her right now. Now let's just do this."

Allison opened the door and froze the Security guard who sat in front of a control panel on a small desk. A large set of screens that showed the museum through the view of many cameras was set up against the wall.

As Allison transformed back into her own form Ian pulled out a small cloth and a bottle of chloroform. He dapped some of the liquid onto the cloth and then put that up against the guards frozen face, making sure he was in a position where the guard could not see his face.

"Alright," Ian said. "Unfreeze him."

Allison did so. The guard to one surprised breath and then slumped into unconsciousness.

"Sorry, big guy." Ian laid the guard on the floor, and put away the items he held. He then pressed a button on the control panel and the screens all went black. Turning to Allison, Ian smiled. "This feels so... Mission Impossible."

She smiled back. "Let's hope it isn't really like that. Now come on. We have to get to that exhibit."

The two quickly left the room and were soon at the place where Ian's premonition had shown. "This is it. Now we wait."

They didn't have to wait long. Smoke coiled into the room and whirled up into a funnel. As it cleared, a female shape took form. Once she saw the two witches she gasped. "Who are you?" she asked in a low tone.

"We're witches," Ian said. "Here to stop you from taking this hammer."

A smile played over the demon's lips. "Well, I don't know how you knew of my plans. But it doesn't matter. This just means I get to have a little fun."

"Oh trust me," Ian said with a smirk. "We are going to have a lot of fun vanquishing you."

"Are you not afraid to use your magic in front of all those security cameras?"

"Taken care of already," Allison piped in. "And I think it's time to take care of you."

"Sorry, other way around, my dear." The demon held up her hand and a ball of dark energy formed. She thrust it at Allison who whipped up her hands, freezing the shadow ball before it had a chance to strike her.

Ian then moved forward and lashed out with a fierce kick. But his foe became smoke and his kick went right through, throwing Ian off balance.

Hardening into solid form again, the demon sent a shadow ball into Ian, knocking him across the room and into a tall pillar. Ian fell to the floor with a grunt, and his chest was badly injured.

"This is quite entertaining." The demon majestically glided over to the glass case that held the hammer. Allison stood next to it, staring defiantly. "Oh, do you look brave. Sorry to burst your bubble then." She pointed a long, elegant finger at Allison's face and a cloud of smoke appeared.

Allison began to cough and choke. She waved her hands, trying to make the cloud go away, but it engulfed her head and a moment later Allison fell to the floor, unconscious.

With a twitch of her finger, the demon made the cloud dissipate. Then she reached right through the glass case, grasped the hammer, and then both she and the hammer disappeared.

Stumbling to his feat, Ian moved over to Allison. He bent down next to her and shook her awake. Allison opened her eyes slowly. "Hey," Ian said, his voice hoarse. "You ok?"

She nodded and then looked at his chest. The shadow ball had burnt through his shirt and had badly injured his chest. "Ian, your hurt."

"Not too badly. But we should get back to the manor." He smiled. "Maybe have Rob heal this."

The two stood up and they headed for one of the exits. "I still think you should have brought Katie," Allison mumbled. "She really could have helped us."

Ian kept silent, knowing that Allison was right.

---

"I mean, I think I can get it. I saw some sincerity in his eyes. Like he was going to give it to me. But I'm not sure. He said he would call me, in that voice where it wasn't going to be good. But when I was first trying out for the job I didn't feel I was going to get it. But I did. So maybe this time it will be the same. What do you think?"

Rob stared at Katie from where he sat on the couch in the King manor. "Um... I think it is quite possible you could get your job back. But why did you call me here just to talk about this?"

Katie shifted her position in the chair she sat on. "There wasn't anyone else to talk to," she said quietly.

"What about Ian?" Rob glanced around. "Where is Ian anyway? Shouldn't he be back from the newspaper by now?"

Smirking, Katie replied, "How the hell should I know where he is? It's not my job to keep track of him."

"Are you two still fighting?"

"If you must know, yes. Yes we are."

Rob sighed. "But why? I thought you guys could have worked this out."

"Well you know what? It is not as easy as it sounds. Ian can be pretty hard headed sometimes. I should know. I'm his sister."

"And that's just it," Rob said, sitting up a little more from his previous relaxed position. "You are his sister. And you two are different from other siblings. You guys have to work together to fight evil. But you can't do that if you are fighting each other. Because then one of you is going to get seriously hurt."

They heard the front door open and a moment later Ian and Allison stumbled into the room. And Ian was hurt.

Katie immediately forgot that she was mad at her brother and bolted from her seat. She rushed to his side and helped him sit down on her now vacated seat. "Ian, what happened?"

"Explanations later, healing now," Allison quipped, waving Rob over.

The Whitelighter quickly healed Ian and then stepped back. "What happened to you two?" he asked, concern showing greatly in his voice.

Ian sat up. "We had a little fight with a demon."

"Yeah," Allison said, nodding. "Ian had a premonition earlier today about this demon lady stealing some hammer from the museum. So we went there to stop her."

Katie's anger return in a wave and she narrowed her eyes at her brother. "And you didn't tell me?! What were you thinking? We are supposed to be in this together. And now that you didn't tell me you got hurt." She crossed her arms. "And let me guess. This hammer thingy is gone?"

Ian shifted his gaze and nodded.

"Um," Rob spoke up. "What hammer is this?"

Glancing around, Ian spotted that day's paper on the coffee table. He picked it up and handed it to Rob. "It's at the bottom of the page. Has a little picture."

Rob examined it for a moment. "Oh no." He dropped the paper back onto the table, looking stunned.

"Oh no?" Katie asked. But Rob didn't answer her. He just stood there. "Oh no? ...Rob?"

He came out of his "trance" and looked at Katie. "Hmm?"

"Oh no?!"

"Oh! Sorry. Yes, um... the hammer. It is a very special hammer."

Allison frowned. "Why? What's so special about it?"

"Well the reason it is special is because it is the long lost hammer, Mjollnir."

"Huh?" all three witches said at once.

"Mjollnir, the hammer of Thor; the Thunder God."

"Oh no," Katie said, dropping down onto the arm of the chair that Ian sat in.

"Well what does this mean?" Ian asked with a questioning look.

"It means," Rob said, "That whoever holds that hammer will be endowed with Thor's power. His strength, his agility. The hammer also has the power to unleash bolts of lightning. So if a demon has it... they will be pretty much unstoppable."

---

"I got it," Desmeria said, appearing in a wave of smoke. She held the hammer in her hand.

Shokan looked up from where he sat. He eyed the hammer. It was large, and many ancient markings decorated its handle. "Well done. Now what do we do with it?"   
Desmeria seemed taken aback. "What do we do with it? Well create havoc and chaos of course. But you must be the one to do it."

"Why me? Why don't you take it for yourself, if it is so great?"

"Because I do not need it. I am powerful enough as it is. There were two witches who tried to stop me from taking this. And it was all to easy to get past them. Now you... You need this hammer, my dear Shokan. With its power you can become great. And our family will once again be respected by the rest of the Underworld. Here." She held the hammer out towards him. "Take it."

Shokan hesitated. But he rose up from he seat and walk over to his mother.

"Go on," she said.

Sighing, Shokan reached out and took the hammer. Instantly he felt its power rush through him. He felt strong. Stronger than he had ever felt in his whole life.

"Now," Desmeria said, smiling, "Use it."

---

"There has to be something we can do." Ian entered the attic, his sister and the other two following. He went over and opened the Book Of Shadows. "Maybe if we figure out who this demon is, we can vanquish her."

Rob shook his head. "But the hammer protects the one that carries it. As long as the demon holds the hammer, you can't vanquish her."

"Well then we will just have to get the hammer away from her, now won't we?" Katie stood next to her brother. "This demon, whoever she is, has nothing on us. We will take her down." She looked at Ian, who looked back. "Together."

Ian smiled and nodded. "Ok, now let's see." He stopped on one page of the Book. "Here we go. There she is." He pointed at an illustration on the page. It was of a family of demons, Desmeria being one of them. "The Merinastra Line. A family of great and powerful demons, that used to be part of the demon higharchy. Yet when Desmeria, daughter of Jehova and Yensa, bore a weakling son, the family was shunned. Ever since then, Desmeria has been searching for something that could make her son, Shokan, powerful. And then her family could become respected once again."

"So the hammer is what she is going to use for that," Allison said, speaking up. "She is going to give the hammer to Shokan so he can prove to the Underworld that he is not a weakling."

Rob nodded. "That's correct. So we have to stop him from using it."

"Right," Ian said. "Once we get the hammer from him, he should be easy to vanquish. Since the Book says he is weak and all. If this Desmeria was the one with it.... Well she was really strong."

"So once we get our hands on the hammer, we should use it to destroy Desmeria," Katie put in. "But what to we do with it once we have it and every thing's good again?"

"I'll orb it someplace safe," Rob said.

Suddenly, the wail of sirens could be heard in the distance. Along with the faint sound of explosions.

"It's started," Ian said. "Ok, we have to move and move fast. Katie? Want to get to work on some kick ass potions?" Katie nodded and left the attic. "Rob? Go talk with the Elders. See if they have any ideas that can help us."

"Got ya." Rob orbed out.

Ian turned to Allison. "What should I do?" she asked.

"Go home."

Allison's mouth dropped open. "What? But Ian, I want to help."

"I don't want you getting hurt."

"But," Allison protested.

Ian went over to her and gave her a hug. "Please. Do this for me. I love you."

A tear slid down Allison's face. "I love you too." She then kissed him, and the two held it for a long moment.

Then Ian broke away and looked into Allison's eyes. "Go." Allison nodded and then ran out of the room.

---

Shokan strutted down one of the main streets of New York City, knocking cars out of the way with the hammer as if they were light as feathers. People ran away screaming in every direction. Police sirens wailed, but no cops could get through with all the chaos.   
Sighing, Shokan surveyed the destruction he had caused. He didn't really care for it all. He was just doing what his mother wanted him to do, hoping that she would be proud of him.

Behind Shokan a flurry of blue lights began to form and Katie and Ian orbed in. Katie held a purse that was full of offensive and defensive potions. Ian had several spells tucked away in his pockets. They were ready for a fight.

"Hey!" Katie called out.

Shokan turned around, eyeing the new arrivals. "Who are you?"

"The ones who are going to vanquish you," Ian answered. His eyes were filled with determination.

Shrugging, Shokan hefted the hammer. "Sorry, but as long as I have this, you can't do that. Or so my mother tells me."

Katie smirked. "Well it won't be long before we take it then. Right Ian?"

Her brother nodded. "Right. Let's do this." Ian moved towards Shokan, who swung Mjollnir. Levitating, Ian avoided the attack, and then landed a kick across Shokan's jaw. The hit made the demon stumble, but as Ian came down to the ground Shokan swung the hammer once again, hitting the King male in the side. Ian was flung through the air, smashing through the window of a now abandoned clothing store.

"Ian!" Katie screamed. She pulled a potion out of her purse and threw it at Shokan. It exploded against his chest, forcing him back a step.

"Nice try, witch," he said. Shokan then pointed Mjollnir at Katie. Electricity washed over its surface and a lightning bolt lashed out towards the young witch.

Katie raised her hands, activating her power of temporal stasis. The bolt slowed, but did not stop. "Oh crap." Katie leaped out of the way and the bolt shot through where she had just been a moment before. It hit a vacated car and the vehicle exploded, showering the street with sparks and flame.

Ian crawled out of the store, several cuts bleeding freely from his face and hands. He made his way over to Katie and the two stood together. "You ok?" Ian asked his sister.   
"Yeah. You?"

Ian shrugged. "Could be better...." The two then faced off with Shokan, who stood calmly, holding Mjollnir with both hands. "We have to get that hammer away from him."

"Duh. Any suggestions?" Katie rubbed her elbow, which had been hurt when she had landed on the hard cement.

Ian shook his head. "None coming to me."

"This grows tiresome," Shokan said. He lifted the hammer and aimed it at Katie. "I end this now." Lightning struck out, speeding towards Katie.

"No!" Ian yelled. He pushed his sister out of the way, taking the hit for himself. The force of the attacked launched Ian through the air, where he landed with a dull thud on the hood of a pick-up truck.

Katie stumbled to her feet and rushed over to Ian. His eyes were closed; he didn't seem to be breathing. "No, no, no," Katie whispered, tears beginning to stream from her eyes. "You can't die on me. I need you. And I didn't even get to say sorry for what happened at the club." Ian didn't move. "Wake up!" Katie slapped her brother across the face, trying to rouse him. But he did not open his eyes. Laying her head down on Ian's chest Katie sobbed, her tears dripping onto Ian's shirt.

Shokan watched this display. He felt pain in his heart. He had never really wanted to hurt anyone. Just make his mother proud. Now look what had happened. This girl might lose her brother just as he had lost his father.

"I can't," Shokan said. He dropped the hammer to the ground. "I won't."

"If you won't," came a voice, smoke coiling up and taking shape, "then I will." Desmeria appeared and she picked up the hammer. "We are meant to kill witches. That is our destiny." She pointed Mjollnir at Katie's hunched form, who was still sobbing. Electricity oozed over the hammer as it got ready to strike.

"I can't let you do that, mother." Shokan conjured an energy ball and flung it into Desmeria's back. She stumbled forward and the hammer fell from her grasp.

"What are you doing?!" She turned on her son, eyes filled with rage.

"Saving us." Desmeria turned to see Katie standing there, Mjollnir now in her hands. A bolt of lightning shot from it and hit Desmeria in the chest. She screamed in rage and exploded in a wave of electricity and fire. Katie glanced at Shokan. "Thank you," she said. Katie then called for Rob who orbed in immediately. "Hurry, Ian's really hurt."   
Rob looked over at Ian's dying body. "Oh no." He rushed over to his charge and held his hands over him. Golden light shined from his palms and Ian's wounds were healed.   
He opened his eyes and took in a gasp of air. "Katie?"

"I'm here," Katie said, smiling. "And thank God, so are you." She turned to look at Shokan who stood in the street, staring at the scorch mark that was all that was left of his mother. "Um... sorry about vanquishing your mom."

Shokan shook his head. "All she cared about was being popular in the Underworld. She didn't care about me. And I now know that she would never be proud of me." He sighed and looked at the three of them standing there. "I never wanted power. I just wanted love." He then shimmered out.

Katie stared at where he had been for a moment and then handed Mjollnir to Rob. "Here. Make sure you take this someplace where no other demons can get their hands on it."

Rob nodded and took the hammer. "Will do," he said, orbing out.

Katie turned to Ian, who sat up on the hood of the extremely damaged pick up. "Ian, I just wanted to say..."

"And I just wanted to tell you..." he said.

"I'm sorry," they said in unison.

Ian smiled. "Good. Then we both agree. Now let's go home before the police show up and start asking questions."

"Good idea." Katie grabbed her brother's arm and orbed them both home.

---

The following morning Katie sat in the kitchen. Ian had already left for work. Sipping her coffee Katie turned on the television, switching it to the news. Reports of yesterday's happenings were being shown.

"An earth quake ripped through parts of New York City yesterday. Damages to buildings were minimal, but several cars were demolished and a few roads were severely damaged. No one was killed or seriously hurt."

Katie switched off the television and smiled. "People will do anything to not believe in magic. Even if the is a demon with a hammer of a god right in front of them." She shook her head as the phone started to ring. Lazily, Katie held out her hand and the cordless flew over to her. Snatching it out of the air, she answered it. "Hello?"

"Katie, this is Jerry Knight. I have some news for you, Ms. King."

Katie flinched. "Good news or bad news?"

"I'm not sure as of yet. The news is that you have your old job back."

Katie's eyes lit up. "Oh, thank you. I—"

"I'm not finished. You get your job back, but I have cut your original pay by a small margin. Also you are restricted from leaving before your appointed time unless it is a extremely important emergency. I am talking life or death here. Are you ok with these terms, Ms. King?"

Katie nodded while she spoke. "Yes, Mr. Knight. I am just so relieved that you are doing this for me."

"Good. Just don't let me lose trust of you again and everything will be fine. See you at work on Monday."

"See you then." Katie hung up the phone and let out a squeal of happiness.

---

Ian sat at his desk, staring down at the letter about sibling rivalry. "Allison?"

"Hmm?" Allison looked up from some paper work that she had been going through.

"I think we should do this one for tomorrow's column." Ian held up the letter, letting her see which one it was.

"Sibling rivalry huh?"

Ian nodded. "Yeah. I think it fits with what has been happening with Katie and I for the past few days."

Allison looked skeptical. "Did you and your sister sort things out between the two of you?"

"Yes. So I will be writing this with a clear head and not out of anger."

"Ok then. Let's get started."

Ian started up his computer and began to type, mumbling to himself as he did so. "Dear Mary. I believe that no matter how close two siblings are, they will fight at least once. There is no way around it.

"But the point is that these fights should not effect your relationship. Even if your sibling does something you think is really bad, you should forgive them. Get over it. Move on. Because a sibling is someone very special. Someone you can go and talk to no matter what. Someone you should cherish. If you and your brother fight, Mary, well fight and move on. Because believe me, you don't want to one day lose your sibling and have not resolved a fight. Because that feeling will weigh on you for the rest of your life. Be there for your brother, Mary, and he will be there for you. Don't let some petty fights get in the way of your relationship." Ian saved the file and then hit print. Sitting back in his chair, Ian looked at a photo on his desk of him and Katie, and smiled.


	22. In The Dark Of The Night

"Okay you two, more letters." Ian looked up from his desk in the office he shared with his partner, Allison, to see Derek, his boss, standing in the doorway with a large box in his hands.

"Oh, not another box," Ian moaned. "We have three in here already." Derek shrugged and set the box down in a chair next to the door.

"Then just pick a few letters a day and then throw the rest out. You can't help everyone."

Ian nodded. "I know, but I am sticking to what I said when I started this. I may not put every letter in the paper, but I will answer them all."

Allison smiled at him. "Ian's right. These people take their time to write these letters and send them to us. The least we can do is answer them."

Derek shook his head and sighed. "Fine, but just to let you know, there are two more boxes coming in later today." He then turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Ian looked over at Allison. "Maybe we should do what he says."

"Ian..."

"Just a smidgen! So that we can have lives."

"No. We stick to this. Okay?"

Ian nodded. "Okay."

---

Katie's eyes drooped as she half-listened to her boss talking about some new computer that the company was trying to get. _Or is it that we got them already, but they don't work?_ she wondered, forgetting. Forcing herself to stay awake, she looked around the room and saw the other technicians just as bored as she was.

_Maybe I shouldn't have stayed up til one last night... Considering I had to be here at six this morning._ Well, it wasn't the first mistake she had made in her twenty-three years of living, so she let it go.

"Ms. King, are you listening?" Her boss's voice cut through her thoughts like a knife.

"Uh... Yes Mr. Knight," she said quickly.

Knight looked skeptical, but continued with his lecture. Katie let out the breath she was unconsciously holding and made a mental note to ask one of her coworkers what was wrong with the computers.

Ten minutes later, the meeting ended and they all filed out. "Brit, wait up," she called, jogging over to her friend. Brittney stopped and turned, grinning.

"You seemed tired in there. Long night?"

Katie nodded. "Yeah, I suppose. Stayed up til one last night catching up on... some work." In truth, she and Ian had vanquished another demon that had come to visit. "I was hoping you would catch me up on what Knight was talking about. Wasn't paying attention," she added, smiling a little guiltily.

"Well, mostly the new computers were acting up. All of them. Knight said that if we couldn't fix them, he's going to send them back."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just get some sort of refunds?"

"Of course it would, but you know Knight," Brit said. "All pride."

Katie nodded. "I know."

---

The front door to the manor opened and Ian stepped in, talking on his cell phone. "Okay, Beth, tomorrow Linkin Park is coming in to do a sound check and everything so they are prepared to play on Saturday. ...What day is it today? Wednesday, of course. At least I think it is..." Ian took off his jacket as he was talking and hung it up on the coat peg. "Alright, well it is five o'clock now.... and I have a column to write... Okay, Beth? I am going to come in around eight, alright? ...Yes, you will do fine. Plus Jason will be there to help you out." Ian rolled his eyes at his worker's nervousness about taking care of the club when he wasn't there. He went into the kitchen and saw Katie standing at the stove, cooking some kind of stew. "Oh, I love stew.... Oh, sorry Beth. Katie is making stew." Katie glanced over at him and waved. Ian waved back and sat down on one of the stools at the center island. "Okay Beth, I'll see you at eight. Bye." He hung up and set the phone down. "Hi."

"Hey." Katie placed the lid on the pot the stew was cooking in and came over to the table. "Did I hear you saying that Linkin Park was coming to the club?"

"Yeah, why?" Ian asked, grabbing a vine of grapes from the bowl that was sitting in the center of the table.

"They're one of my favorite bands, that's why."

Ian took one of the grapes off the vine and popped it in his mouth. "Really? Well do you want to come to the club tomorrow on your lunch break and meet them?"

"Sure," Katie said, stealing one of Ian's grapes.

"Hey!" Katie just grinned and popped the grape in her mouth. Ian smirked. "So what kind of stew is that anyway?"

"Beef stew," Katie said, stealing another grape.

_My favorite,_ Ian thought. He breathed in with his nose and took in the sensual smell of beef, vegetables, and spices all mixing together. "Ah... I love that smell. But enough pleasure. Work time. I have about ten letters that I told myself I would answer tonight. So I better get started." He took one more grape and then left the room to get his laptop.

---

She was standing in a vast room; fog—no, it was smoke—was covering the floor. The ceiling was so high that the top disappeared into shadows. Walls were so far apart she could just barely make out the ones that were on either side of her. It felt like she was in a field rather than a room. Only the cold, hard stone floor under her bare feet made her aware.

A dark figure came out of the shadows, and she met his gaze square on, feeling no need to talk. The figure came closer, and she saw he was wearing a long black cloak.

"You have come to face me, have you not?" he whispered. She made no move to reply, which seemed to anger him. His hands shook with suppressed rage. "You shall fail." He conjured up a fireball, and still she met his gaze with complete calm.

As he was about to throw the fireball, a broad sword appeared in her hands and she thrust it through him in one fluid motion. He screamed in rage. "You will not get away with this! Consider your life and your grandchildren lives damned!" he shrieked, and  disappeared in a funnel of flame.

She bent over, leaning on the sword, her side bleeding profusely. But how that wound appeared was a mystery...

Katie shot up in bed in a cold sweat. She looked at the clock and saw it was only eleven PM. "And I thought Ian was the one with premonitions," she muttered, lying back down.

---

"Good morning!" Ian breezed into the kitchen the next morning and grabbed the pot of coffee, pouring himself a mug. He glanced over at Katie who sat at the table just staring into her own coffee mug. There were dark circles under her eyes and she seemed beat. "Katie? Didn't you get enough sleep? You were asleep when I got home last night." Ian sat down across from Katie and flipped on their small television that sat there, switching it to the news, yet keeping it muted.

Katie shrugged. "Bad dream. Something about killing a demon... I went back to sleep after that, but I don't feel like it." She took a long sip from her mug. "Probably tossed and turned all night, but I don't remember any dre—Oh my god. Ian, news, volume."

Ian pushed the mute button and the news reporter's voice flooded the room. "This morning police found the body of Heather Drets in an alley. Experts have not yet determined the exact time she was murdered, but the police report that she was stabbed to death. In other news..."

"Oh, that's horrible," Ian said, his eyes somber. "Geez, it just brings my morning down. And I was in such a good mood.... Man, I wish we could stop all bad things from happening. But we can't, sad to say." He muted the TV again and then sipped his coffee as he picked up the paper. "Oh, look! My stock went up! ....And my other three went... down. Great, just great."

"Don't worry Ian, coffee will make you chipper again. Just don't do it in front of me, unless you would like to get hurt," Katie said, putting on a tired grin.

Ian pulled down the paper so his eyes peeked over the top at Katie. "Okay, tonight we are going to make sure you get more sleep. And we can make you some hot chocolate before bed so bad dreams won't haunt you." Katie stared at him. "Well that is what mom always said to do...." He realized a second later that that had been the wrong thing to say, because Katie just seemed worse. "Sorry Kate. But it could work. Plus, it tastes good and it is chocolate. You love chocolate."

"Doesn't sugar just make you stay up longer?"

Ian shook his head profusely. "Not hot chocolate sugar. It soothes you... and makes you sleep well. Now coffee keeps you up. Coffee gets you through the day. Gets you through..." His eyes widened. "Work! Oh, what time is it?!" He stole a glance at the clock. "Oh great, I'm late." Ian swigged down the rest of his coffee, set the mug down, and then stood up. "Okay, I will see you at the club around noon. But... don't act weird and scare them away, okay? You do that sometimes," he said with a smile.

"I'll try," Katie said sarcastically, but then grinned. "Though... you shouldn't be the one to talk."

"When was the last time I... Oh, never mind! I am late. See ya later!" He then ran out of the room and out the door.

---

"Come on, you damn thing, work!" Katie said loudly to the computer, her temper flaring with lack of sleep. She whacked the monitor, which just made it turn black. "Ugh!" She put her head in her arms in frustration, muttering under her breath. This was a bad thing to do. For in a couple minutes she fell asleep.

_Ring!_ Katie woke to the music of her cell phone. She fished it out of her purse with one hand. "Hello?" she answered the ring sleepily.

"Katie? Where are you? I thought you said you were going to be here at noon to meet the band. It's half past noon," Ian said from where he was at King's Corner.

"It's _what_?!" Katie yelped, looking at the clock. Lo and behold, it was 12:30. "I am so screwed.. Did they already leave?"

"Nope. They are still here. One of their amps was acting up and they had to fix it. But if you want to catch them I suggest you orb to my office. It's empty. But be quiet when you come out so they don't notice you." There was some muffled talking from Ian's side and then he said, "Oh, Kate, I gotta go. Beth is starting to drool over the band. I gotta take care of her. Bye!" Ian then hung up.

"Okay..." Katie took in a deep breath to relax herself and closed the door to her office. Then she orbed to Ian's office at the club. It was quiet in there, but stifled voices came through the door. She opened it and walked through to where Ian was standing. "Hey, bro."

Ian looked at her and smiled. "Oh, look who's here!" he said loudly. The band, Linkin Park, all came over, with Beth tagging along behind them and shooting out questions. "Beth! Quiet. Now... Katie, this is Linkin Park. Linkin Park, this is my sister, Katie."

They all waved and the lead singer, Chester Bennington said, "What's up, Kate?"

"I'm on my lunch break from work." She paused, then asked, "Ian didn't tell me... What songs are you going to play on Saturday?"

"Let's see... Hit The Floor, Papercut, Numb..." Chester drifted off.

Katie smiled. "All very good songs."

"Yeah." Then he asked, "So... are you going to be there?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world.... Well, maybe the world, now that I think about it."

They all laughed. "Well we have to get going. It was nice meeting you." Then they all left with Beth screaming "goodbye" after them, over and over again. Ian turned back to Katie. "So why were you late? Get caught up in your work?"

Katie sat down at one of the stools at the bar. "Sort of. I fell asleep at my desk. I'm just lucky no one came in and caught me napping."

"You fell asleep?" Ian went behind the bar and started cleaning some glasses. "Man Katie, maybe you are coming down with something. If you get caught sleeping at your job you could get fired."

"I am not getting sick. I feel perfectly fine, except for the fact that I'm exhausted."

"Okay, well go to bed early tonight. And now I am definitely going to make you some hot chocolate.... Maybe even one for myself too." He smiled as Katie just rolled her eyes.

---

He held the knife by the blade, threw it up in the air, and caught it by the hilt. It was one of the tricks he learned at a young age. And it was one that was fairly easy, so he did it when he was bored.

Bored he was, indeed. The witch he was hunting was hiding again. Like last night, they were in a darkened alley, which was where he preferred. There was less of a chance that anyone would witness the murder he was about to inflict. After all, how many people would come into an alley at midnight?

 The sound of rough, shallow breathing hit his ears. He spun around and saw a slight shadow coming behind a box. He smirked and silently sauntered over, holding the athame high. Once there, he jumped behind the witch and grabbed a hold of her by the neck, slightly choking her.

"You shall die like I did many years ago," he whispered. The witch struggled uselessly, trying to get free. He plunged the knife into the stomach of the witch, and grinned as he watched her life leave her slowly and painfully.

---

"Whoa, what is going on here?" It was Friday morning and Ian was in his car or his way to work. But there was a crowd of people blocking the road, all of them crowding around an alley.

Several police cars and an ambulance were also there. Ian pulled over and got out, walking towards the group. "Excuse me.... Pardon me... Oh, look out." He pushed his way through to the front to see what was going on. And what he found sent chills up his spine.

A young woman lay not fifteen feet away. Hours old blood stained her blouse and a small pool of it lay around her. Police stood all around, trying to get people to stay back. But Ian paid them no attention. He stared into the woman's dead eyes. Looks of fear still lingered in them.

As an officer came near Ian called out to him. "Hey, what happened? Who is that?"

The officer looked at him for a moment and then said. "Poor girl was stabbed to death. And her name is Susan Drets."

 "Drets..." Ian frowned. "Why does that name sound so familiar?"

"You probably heard that name on the news yesterday. Heather Drets, Susan's older sister, was killed on Wednesday night."

"Oh no... Who would do something like this?"

 "There are a lot of people that would kill others. And it is my job to find out who did this. But this person was careful. Very careful. Left no finger prints, no weapon, no markings of any kind. Same thing with the first one. So we have no leads as of yet. And we may never get any." The officer sighed and then turned away.

Ian glanced at Susan's lifeless body once more and then turned to go, making his way back to his car. "You may not be able to.... but maybe I can."

---

Ian burst into Katie's office at her work to find his sister speaking on the phone. "Katie!" he hissed.

She glared at him and then continued to talk. "I am guessing that it will take about three days to fix. Is that a problem?"

Ian waved his hands. "Kate, this is important."

She held a finger to her mouth, signaling him to be quiet. "Okay, good. Well bring it on over to the building and someone will get it to me right away. Alright? ...Okay, bye." She hung up. "I was on the phone! Don't interrupt me when I'm trying to work. Now what is so important that you didn't go to your job and came all the way over here?"

"Another person was killed. It was the sister of Heather Drets, the girl who was killed on Wednesday night."

Katie gasped. "Oh my god. So, do they know who did it?"

Ian shook his head. "No. They have no idea, since the killer left no certain marks, or finger prints, or anything."

"So you think it may be... demonic?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. That is why I want to go to the morgue and see if I can get a premonition off one of the bodies. I called into work and said I couldn't come in. So I am free. But I need you just incase your freezing power is needed."

Katie raised an eyebrow. "So that is all you need me for now? To freeze stuff?"

"No... I need you for moral support as well. Dead bodies creep me out."

Katie rolled her eyes and then stood up. "Fine. Let's go."

---

"I still don't see why we couldn't have orbed," Katie complained while walking down the hallway at the morgue. "It would've been easier, instead of sneaking around."

"Because, first of all, someone might have seen us orb in. A second of all, I don't really like the orbing. It makes me feel a little sick. Especially if I have just seen a body of a dead woman."

The two had arrived at the city morgue just a few minutes before. Katie had quickly frozen the lady at the front desk and they were now looking for the room that would be holding the body of Heather Drets.

"Ah ha," Ian said, stopping in front of one doorway. It had the letters C-D on it. He tried the handle, but it was locked. "Katie? Wanna do your little magic-door-unlocking move?"

Katie flicked her fingers and the soft _snap_ of the lock meant it was open. She opened the door and they both went through. "Okay, why don't you look on that side of the room, and I'll look on this side?" Ian nodded, and went to the far side of the large room while she went and looked for Drets's shelf.

Several minutes later, Ian called her over. "I found it," he said, pulling open the long drawer that held Heather's body. He grabbed hold of her and shuddered while she just looked down dispassionately.

Ian was pulled into his vision and scenes flashed through his mind, yet all was shrouded in a thick and strangely mystical fog. A dark alley.... Heather Drets hiding from something... a figure came up behind her and stabbed the young woman in the back. But Ian could not see the attacker's face. The fog covered it. he could not even tell if it was a male or female. The vision then ended and Ian opened his eyes. "I saw her get killed. But who by, I have no clue. I couldn't see their face. This weird fog hid it from view. I don't even know if it was a girl or guy!"

"How odd," Katie muttered, staring at the dead woman's face. She blinked hard as a sudden headache came over her. "Ugh, ow. Um... How about we go home and scry?" she said slowly, the pain getting worse by the moment.

Ian frowned. "Scry for what? Just general demon energy in the area of which the two woman were killed?"

"Well why not? We might get the demon that's killing these people."

He nodded. "Alright. Well let's get out of here before—" The knob on the door to the room started to turn. Ian quickly pushed the drawer back in, closed the door, and pulled Katie down behind a metal table just as the door opened. "Quick, orb us to the car," he whispered.

Katie sighed and concentrated on her power. It took a little longer to pull up the power because of the headache, but they got out of the room before the door opened. She landed in the passenger seat with Ian in the driver's. "Hey, you have any Tylenol or Advil somewhere in here?"

"Glove compartment," Ian said absentmindedly. He drew in a deep breath and then let it out. "I wonder why my power wasn't working well. I could see the face of the victim very clearly. Yet not the killer." Ian looked over at his sister, who was rummaging through the glove compartment. "You think Rob might know anything about this? About why my power... malfunctioned?"

Katie took out two Advil pills and swallowed them. "You could always ask, but maybe it didn't 'malfunction.' Perhaps you weren't supposed to know who killed Drets."

"Maybe... but why not? Why would the Powers That Be, or whatever, not want me to know?" Ian started the car and pulled out of the morgue's parking lot. "I think we should continue to investigate all this. I got a premonition off that girl for a reason. We have to find her killer. We just have to."

---

"Rob!" Ian called, opening the door to the manor. He and Katie entered and hung up their jackets. "Rob! We need you!"

There was a flurry of blue orbs and Rob appeared. "What's wrong?" he asked. Ian pointed to the living room and they all headed in there and sat down.

"Okay," Ian said. "In the last two nights, two woman have been murdered. They were sisters and their last name was Drets."

Rob narrowed his eyes at this. "Drets? Heather and Susan Drets?"

"Yeah," Katie said. "How did you know?"

"Heather and Susan Drets are witches, like you. They come from a very long line of witches... powerful ones too."

"So they must have been killed by a demon," Ian muttered.

"Or a warlock," Katie pointed out.

Ian nodded. "Well the reason we called you is this: Katie and I went to the morgue so that I could try to get a premonition off Heather to find out who the killer was. I got one... but it didn't really work. I couldn't see the killer's face. It was shrouded by some weird fog. Do you know why that would happen?"

Rob shook his head. "No... I have never heard of that happening before. But I will check with the Elders."

"You do that," Katie said. "I hope they can actually help."

Rob nodded. "So do I. What are you two going to do?"

"Katie suggested that we do a general scrying for evil in the area that these two woman were killed. Maybe we can come up with something."

"Good luck." Rob orbed out.

---

"Map?" Ian asked, holding out his hand. The two were now in the attic, about to do some scrying.

Katie gave the map to her brother. "Map, check."

Ian took it. "Crystal?"

"Got it," Kate said, handing it over.

"Okay..." The older sibling began to rotate the crystal over the section of the map where the sisters had been killed.

"Find for us in this place, a demon that is full of evil. Latch onto his blood that through his body does race, so we may search him out and kill." The crystal spun a moment more and then shot down onto the map. "This better be our culprit." He took his sister's arm. "Let's roll.... I mean... orb."

She nodded with a grin, eager to get this evil that was killing innocents. "Okay, why do demons have to go into a dark, abandoned place every time we fight?" Katie asked when they touched down in shadowy parking lot.

"They do it just to annoy you," Ian said, as he looked around.

"Well, I wish they would stop it."

"Me too... Okay, when we find him... or her, you freeze, and then we ask some questions." Ian looked as his sister. "Would you be able to just unfreeze his head so we can interrogate him?"

"I could try..." she started uncertainly. The demon came out, it's hair flying everywhere and the eyes bulging out. Katie opened her fists quickly, her reflexes being honed over the time they had been in the demon/witch project. The demon froze, and with a deep, calming breath, she twiddled her fingers in the direction of it's head, which unfroze.

"What have you done to me?! Why can't I move my body?!"

Ian smiled. "Hey, my sister here just froze ya. And now we want to ask some questions."

The demon glared. "I won't tell you anything."

Ian glanced at Katie and then blew up a nearby trashcan. "You were saying?"

Their foe was silent for a moment. "What do you want to know?"

"We want to know who killed the two Drets witches," Katie demanded.

"Wasn't me."

"Then who was it?"

"How should I know?"

"Ian, maybe we should just vanquish him and get it over with."

"But we don't have any information yet. And you never know. Maybe he is lying about not doing it." His mouth tightened. "Demons do lie."

"How bout a few limbs being blown off?" Katie suggested, a glint in her eye.

"Uh... Can I do that?"

"Ian!" she hissed, looking over and jerking her head toward the demon pointedly.

Ian closed one eye and shot out his right hand. In a split second the demon's right arm exploded and he screamed in pain. "Oh. I _can_ do it." He smiled. "Good to know."

"Very good."

"Okay," Ian continued. "Let's try this again—" But at that moment the demon unfroze and he shimmered out.

"Oh... guess my freezes still don't last that long," Katie muttered, looking down at the damp cement ground.

"Guess not." Ian sighed. "Okay, well that didn't help us much. But I think he is the one who did it. I mean he is in this area.... and he is a demon. What more do we need to convict him?"

"Well, if he were a mortal, I would say proof. But since he's a demon... Well, we don't need any excuse to bust _their_ ass on occasion."

"Right. Okay, let's get back to the manor and call Rob. Maybe he will have some more information. And then I have to go to the club. It will be late by the time I get back and that demon could kill again. Do you think you could do a little city patrol tonight?"

Katie sighed and orbed them back home. "I suppose I could," she said when they arrived, then flopped down on a nearby couch. "Rob!"

Rob orbed in a moment later. "Hey I.... Why do you two look so glum?"

"I can't answer for Ian, but I'm tired, grumpy, and the demon got away. What did you find out?"

"Well the reason that your vision was 'foggy,' Ian, was because there was powerful magic trying to block yours. It wasn't strong enough to stop you from having a vision, but it was strong enough to mask whoever the killer was."

Ian nodded. "Great. Powerful magic that can sorta block my visions. This is not fun."

"Is anything about this fun anymore?" Katie asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Some things are. Just not anything that has anything to do with demons or people being killed." He stood up and started for the door. "I am off to the club. Katie, be very careful tonight, okay? If you need help you can call Rob or orb to me. Alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine, Ian. don't worry so much."

He smiled. "I have to. I'm your brother." And with that he left the manor.

---

Katie walked down the abandoned street, softly singing "Sorry" by Our Lady Peace, trying to keep her mind off how much she wanted to be in bed. It felt like she hadn't slept for two days and her eyes were drooping in the harsh light of the streetlamps.

"Today we carry each other, today we do what we should..." she sang, stubbornly wiping the thoughts of sleep and beds out of her mind. "Today's the time for forgiveness, today I wish—"

There was a shuffling of feet behind her, and she spun around, catching the demon that they had seen earlier in her sight. "You again," he muttered, clearly disgruntled.

"What, unhappy to see me?" Katie replied innocently, her hand slowly reaching into her pocket of her jeans.

The demon caught the movement and quickly threw an energy ball at her. She dived out of the way, the vial that held a potion mimicking her brother's blowing up power rolling away on the ground. He threw another energy ball, which Katie deflected with telekinesis, and it hit a nearby trash can. Freezing the demon, she flicked her fingers, summoning the potion while getting off the sidewalk.

"I'm _really_ starting to hate landing on the ground..." she muttered, throwing the vial at the demon. Watching him 'melt,' a sudden jolt when through her, one she never felt before. "You're exhausted, that's all," Katie told herself, shaking it off and walking down the road again.

---

"Look at this." Ian held the newspaper up in front of Katie's face.

Katie took the paper and read the headline. "Woman murdered, related to other two from previous nights." Katie dropped the paper on the kitchen table. "But... but..."

"I thought you said you vanquished the demon."

"I did! He came, he snarled, I threw. So what, was he actually telling the truth?"

Ian sat down heavily in a chair and sighed. "I guess. But we can't let this keep happening we have to stop whoever is doing this. Today."

His sister took a sip of her leaded coffee, thinking. "Well, the last time we tried to scry, it came up with the wrong demon, apparently. The way I see it is that we need to figure out a more accurate way to find the culprit."

Ian rolled his eyes. "Any suggestions? Not like I can get a premonition off anything. Last time it didn't work."

Rob orbed in and said, "Did you—"

"Here about the other murder last night?" Ian asked. Rob nodded. "Yeah, we did. And we have no idea what to do."

"Can you—"

"Scry?" Kate interrupted. "Tried. Turned up the wrong demon."

Rob looked at Ian. "How about you—"

"Try to get a premonition? You know that won't work."

Rob stood there for a moment. "Okay, that's all I got."

Ian rubbed his face with his hands. "Okay, Rob, go see if the Elders have ANY information that could help us. We'll... try to figure out something." Rob nodded and orbed out.

"Hey," Katie said, her eyes lighting up. "All the girls that were murdered were related, right?"

"Right... So?"

"So, look in the Book for any demons that would have grudges against that family. I have to change out of these pajamas." Katie looked down at her pajamas that were cotton and had a purplish color. "And do my hair."

"Good plan. Well I'll go look in the Book." The two then went off up the stairs, Ian moving up to the attic and Katie splitting off into her room.

She shut the door and went over to her closet, picking out a light dark blue, full-sleeve shirt out and throwing it on the bed. Then she grabbed a pair of khakis and changed into her work clothes. Enough to seem formal, yet not.

She walked over to her dresser, where her mirror sat, and opened the drawer with her brush in it. _What the...?_ she thought as her fingers hit something cold and wet at the back of the drawer, pulling it out. It was a knife, one that had the crimson color of blood on it.

"...Ian!" she called when she threw the door open.

"Don't worry, I think I found something," Ian said, coming down the stairs. "There is a demon candidate in here. His name is Piren. He vowed to kill the descendants of a witch called Jessica Drets." Ian got to Katie's door, but did not look up. "The problem is... she vanquished him. So how could he be the one killing those Drets girls?"

"I don't know," Katie said, impatient, "but would this give you any clue?" She shoved the knife over the book and under Ian's gaze.

"Oh god!" Ian jumped back. "What are you doing with... that? Are you insane? And why is it all bloody?"

"A) I don't know. B) Yes. C) ...I don't know. I found it in the dresser."

"Well how the hell did it get in there?" Ian walked into Katie's room and set the Book down on the bed. Turning back to his sister he held out his hand. "Let me see it." Katie handed the knife to Ian and his shut instantly. A moment later the knife dropped to the floor. "Oh my god," Ian said, staring at Katie.

Katie looked at Ian, confused and a little worried. "What's wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"You... um, I saw the murders of all three girls. And then I saw... you. You killed them." Ian inadvertently took a step back from his sister.

Her mouth worked, but no sound came out. "I... I... I did not. I have no memory of doing it!" she finally got out. Katie sagged against the wall, pausing for a moment, trying to get her head around this. "So now what? You going to lock me up?"

"No.. Um, there has to be something that made you do it." Ian thought for a moment. "Wait, didn't you say you were having freaky dreams?"

"More like horror movie dreams, in a way. But yeah."

"Well what were they about?"

"Demon killing, mostly," Katie replied slowly. "I thought it was just dreams about the waking life or whatever."

"Alright, um..." Ian sat down and began flipping through the Book. But every few seconds he would glance up at Katie to make sure she was still on the other side of the room. "Okay, here we go. Now... do you have any sunglasses?"

"Uh... Yeah." Katie started to move forward, the noticed Ian stiffening. Instead she used her telekinesis to move the glasses that were on her nightstand over to Ian.

"Thanks," Ian said, taking them. Then he looked  back at the Book and began to read the spell. "Magic forces far and wide, enchant these so those can't hide. Allow me to use therein, so I can reveal the evil within." The sunglasses glowed and then Ian put them on and looked at Katie. "Whoa!"

"...What? You see anything?"

"I see... the demon. You are being possessed."

Katie then convulsed and her whole body shook. After a moment she looked up. Her eyes were a glowing red. "Damn right I am." Ian grabbed the BOS as Katie ran at him. She grabbed him by the shoulders and orbed them both to the attic. Once there, she used telekinesis to throw Ian across the room.

"Ah!!!!" Ian crashed into a bunch of old furniture and the Book flew from his hands and skidded across the floor.

"Very good, Ian," Katie said. Ian looked up, surprised on how sarcastic and evil that voice came from his sister. It sounded like it was practically easy for that tone to come from her. "You see," she continued while holding him down with telekinesis, "There was a time that I was the most powerful demon alive." A pause. "Then that Drets woman came near.

"I had been planning to destroy that family for a while. The plan had been perfected and was scheduled to launch only two days ahead. The Drets family was one of the most powerful of their—our time. Apparently I alone wasn't strong enough to defeat them.

"But when I realized it was possible to possess after vanquish, I set out to find a witch powerful enough to kill their family line. It took eons. Finally I came across your sister here. I was hoping to possess you, the oldest, but your sister was the easiest of you two, being less powerful." There was another pause. "Would you like to ask any questions before I ram this knife into your heart?" She held up the knife that Ian had dropped on the floor earlier.

"Just one," Ian said, struggling against the power holding him down.

"Well?" she asked after a moment of waiting.

"How do you feel about me kicking your ass?" Ian then closed his fist and quickly opened it again. The floor right next to the possessed-Katie's feet exploded and knocked her to the floor. Ian sprang to his feet and ran at his sister, who was just getting up. "Sorry Kate." Ian kicked out and hit Katie in the stomach, making her stumble back. He then swung his right arm and punched her across the face.

---

The real Katie slammed into the 'barrier' that held her from the control of her own body. She had screamed as the demon, Piren, hurt Ian. She had spoken as Piren spoke. It was as if she was separate, but yet still connected to him. Like a bond had developed against their will during the three days of possession.

_Come on..._ she muttered as a crack in the barrier formed. A few more times, and a fault in the barrier came, big enough for her to slip through and get control of her body just as Ian punched her in the jaw.

"Ow!" she yelped, jerking back. "Stop hitting me for a second, please, and let's find a spell before he takes over again," she managed to get out, each word getting slightly harder to say.

"Oh, Katie! Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry."

"Stop saying sorry and get the Book!"

"Right." Ian quickly ran and picked up the Book and started to flip through it. Katie came over and watched.

"Stop." Ian stopped flipping. "Okay... to vanquish an Evil Spirit. This is it." Katie doubled over and groaned as Piren tried to take over again. "Give me the Book. Hurry!"

Ian gave his sister the Book and she began to read. "Ashes to ashes, spirit to spirit. Take his soul, banish this evil." Katie then screamed and the cloudy form of Piren shot out of her body and exploded. Katie let out a sigh of relief and then sat down heavily on the floor.

"Wow," Ian said. "Um, how did you do that? The Book says you need to be a spirit, or basically dead, to be able to vanquish an evil spirit. So how did you do it?"

"I think... Well, he was dead already. And it felt like while he worked through me, a bond sorta formed. So... maybe since he's already dead, that link did the rest of the work?" Katie shrugged.

"I guess so. But hey... we did it. We got the demon." Ian knelt next to Katie and gave her a hug. "And don't worry. I knew that it wasn't really you doing those things. Deep down I knew."

"Musta been really deep down then," she teased him while smiling crookedly, returning the hug.

"Ok," Ian said, standing, and pulling Katie up with him. "No more worries for today. We vanquished the demon. And tonight one of your favorite bands is playing at the club."

Katie grinned. "Damn right they are."

---

"It's like a, (The sun...) paranoid lookin over my back. It's like a, whirlwind inside of my head. It's like I can't stop what I'm hearin within! It's like (I feel the light betray me...) I can't stop what I'm hearin within! It's like I, can't stop what I'm hearin within! It's like the face inside is right beneath the skin...."

      The crowd cheered and the lead singer said, "We'll be back after we have a quick break."

Ian and Katie sat in a booth and Ian turned to his sister. "So, how ya feelin?"

"Tired. At least it makes sense why, now. Good thing tomorrow is Sunday. Get to sleep in!" She smirked as she took a swig from her beer.

Ian laughed. "Well I can't sleep in. With all the demon business I wasn't able to write my view of the letter that Allison and I picked out. So I have to get working on that right away tomorrow morning."

"Sucks to be you." The two then turned back to the band as they got back up on stage.

"Okay, our next song is Points Of Authority." They picked up their instruments and started to play.

"Forfeit the game, before somebody else takes you out of the frame, puts your name to shame. Cover up your face, you can't run the race, the pace is too fast, you just won't last...!"


	23. Anything But Friends

**A/N: Sucky at the beginning, but it gets better. Yada yada, hope you like :)  
---**

"Are you sure about this?" Ian asked, as he and his sister came down the stairs.

"Positive. I can handle it," Kate replied.

"But on your own? You might need me."

"Ian, I can do it."

They reached the bottom of the stairs and Ian turned to look at his sister. "All right. But be careful." He turned to get his coat and then stopped, turning back. "And remember to refill the taps when needed."

Kate nodded. "Don't worry. I will take care of the club while you have your date there with Allison. Everything will be fine."

Grabbing his coat, Ian said, "I know. I just don't want anything to go wrong. Especially since this is a band night." He thought for a moment. "And since it is Evanescence, things will just be crazy."

Katie put her coat on as well and then opened the front door. "Well, I have dealt with demons. I can deal with this. Now let's go. Don't wanna be late for your date." Katie smiled.

"Cute." The two shuffled out of the manor and Katie closed the door behind them.

---

"Holding my last breath... Safe inside myself are all my thoughts of you. Sweet raptured light, it ends here tonight..." Amy Lee sang to the huge crowd in front of the stage.

A hand slapped down on the table, jerking Katie out of her 'trance' at the band. "Can I get some service over here?"

"Okay, geez." Katie went over to the man. "What do you want?"

"Beer."

Katie nodded, turned, and filled a glass with the liquid. "There you go. Beer." She handed him the glass. Turning around again, she began to clean some of the dirty mugs. While she was wiping one clean, her fingers slipped and it fell to the floor. Squeaking in surprise, she held out her hands and froze the entire room.

Across the room Ian sat with Allison. They both looked around at the frozen club. "Katie?" Allison asked.

Ian nodded. "Yep. This is her doing. Excuse me for a moment." Ian rushed over to the bar, having to duck under and move around people that were stalled in time. He found his sister picking a glass out of the air, inches above the floor, and then setting it on the bar. "Kate? What happened?"

"Mug fell. Go back to your date," she said. "I got this."

Ian hesitated for a moment, then turned and went back to sit down. A moment later the place unfroze and everything restarted. "So, you were saying?" Ian said, taking a sip of his drink. Allison opened her mouth, but Ian glanced at the band and said, "Oh, I love this part. Hold on a second."

Allison sighed and looked down. "How am I supposed to tell him if things keep interrupting us?"

Ian turned back and smiled. "Sorry. Great guitar solo right there. Go on. You were saying something about work?"

Allison put on a fake smile. "No, never mind. It's not important." She got up from her seat and put on her jacket. "You know... I have some things to take care of. I should go."

"But we just got here," Ian protested.

Sighing, Allison said, "I know. I'm sorry, but I have to go." She then grabbed her purse and left.

Ian stared at where she had been sitting. "Was it something I said?"

Back where Katie was at the bar, a quiet male voice broke through. "Excuse me, miss, could you get me some whiskey if you serve it?"

She frowned, upset that she had been interrupted during her favorite song, Everybody's Fool. "Yeah... Hold on a moment." With a quick look under the bar, she found a shot-glass and filled it with whiskey. "Enjoy."

"Thanks," he said, a smile in his tone.

Katie looked up and grinned. "Desmen!" she exclaimed, surprised to see her best friend. She got out from behind the bar and gave him a hug. "I thought you were in California or somewhere over there."

"I was, but—"

A particularly loud cheer came from the crowd. "It never was and never will be. You don't know how you betrayed me. And somehow you've got everybody fooled..."

Desmen shook his head. "Quite loud, aren't they?"

"Yeah, well, popular band," she replied, shrugging. "So... What made you came back?"

"Not much, really. I just decided to come home to New York."

At that moment Ian came up to the bar, not looking too great. "Kate, I think there is something wrong with Allison. She had something to tell me, but then just left." He then noticed the guy that was standing there with Katie. "You look familiar," Ian said, creasing his brow.

"Desmen," the guy said.

Ian slapped his forehead. "Of course! Sorry, my mind is just fried. You and Katie used to be best friends, right?"

"Well, I would like to think that we still are..."

"So would I," Katie piped in. "Its only been, what? A year?"

Desmen blinked. "Really? Seems longer."

"Gotta hate leap years."

"...But that was last year, Kate."

"Uh... heh... Right. I so knew that."

Ian quickly came up with another subject. "So... what did you do in California? Anything interesting? 'Cause here it's just been..." He glanced at his sister. "Boring. Yes, very boring."

Katie snorted while Desmen answered. "Job offer. I worked at a bank for a while. Quit that one for a better wage at another. Nothing too exciting."

"And what are your plans now that you are back in New York?"

"Uh... Visit family first of all. Get a new job, of course. I'm trying to find an apartment, but no luck so far."

Katie interrupted Ian before he could get a word out. "So why don't you stay with us?"

"Love to!" Desmen smiled again, matching Katie's. She was excited to finally have someone close—other than her brother and Rob—to talk to.

Ian forced a smile. "Uh... Kate? Can I speak with you in my office for a second?" He didn't give her a chance to respond and pulled Katie to his office, shutting the door behind them. "Are you insane?!"

"Probably. Why?"

"Oh, I dunno. Just telling someone that they can stay in our house without remembering why that is not a possibility comes to mind."

"Oh. That. I couldn't leave my best friend without somewhere to stay, could I?" Katie frowned, annoyed.

"But I think he would be safer somewhere where demons would not be breaking down the door every night." Katie opened her mouth, but Ian cut her off. "And don't tell me that magical activity has been light lately because it has not been. We have had possessing ghosts, hammer-wielding demons, and gypsies in just the past few months. And the enemy is getting together to beat. I don't know what is going to come next and I don't know if we will be able to protect Desmen if something happens. And if he finds out we are witches...." Ian didn't finish the sentence.

"If he finds out we're witches, there's three possibilities: he'll run away and not accept it, he'll be fine with it, or he'd try to kill us. The last is extremely unlikely though. You don't know him like I do." She folded her arms across her chest. "You were also rude to him just now."

Ian sighed. "I didn't mean to be, and I'm sorry. I'm just worried that something will happen. I just have this... feeling."

She paused. "Look, we'll just have to be careful. Isn't there some sort of spell we can put on the house or something?"

"I have no idea. I'll look in the Book Of Shadows tonight. Which reminds me... We have to keep him away from the attic." Ian thought for a moment. "And there are potion ingredients in the kitchen. Okay, I'll go home now and move anything magical up to the attic. And so then we have to make sure we lock the door each time we leave the room." Ian took his coat off his chair and put it on. "You stay here and take care of the club. And call me before you come home so I can be ready for you guys."

She sighed and shrugged. "Alright." She went back out behind the bar and over to where Desmen was. "Sorry about that... Ian had to tell me something about the club."

"It's cool," he replied. "Where's he going, though?" Katie followed his gaze to see Ian exiting the club.

"Uh.. Major headache. Part of what he told me." Katie felt bad lying to Desmen, but their secret came first. "So you want another whiskey?"

---

Ian trudged into the attic, a large box full of magical items in his hands. He had gathered up everything around the manor that would give away their secret and brought it up there. This was his last load.

"Phew," Ian said, dropping the box onto the dusty couch. "Good thing I'm done." Katie had called a little earlier, telling him that she and Desmen were on their way. Making Ian rush to get everything up to the attic.

All of a sudden a demon appeared. He wore a wooden mask, and had no shirt. Holding up a blowgun to his mouth, the demon shot a dart at Ian.

"Ah!" Ian dived, landing on the floor on his stomach. The dart hit a feather stuffed chair and it shrunk. "Oh my." Ian got to his feet, just as the demon rushed out of the attic. "Oh no you don't." Ian ran after him. Down the stairs they went. The demon reached the bottom and Ian jumped the rest of the steps and tackled him.

There was the sound of cars driving up from outside. Katie and Desmen were there. And there was a demon in the foyer!

Ian rolled off the demon and they both stood. The demon brought up his blowgun, but Ian was too fast. He shot out his hands and the demon exploded. The wooden mask hung in the air for a second and then fell to the floor, disappearing on contact.

The front door opened and Ian spun around to see Katie and Desmen come in. His sister looked at him standing there, beads of sweat on his forehead. "Uh... Ian? Everything okay?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Fine," Ian said, hurriedly. "Everything is fine."

"You should go wash your face." Katie hung up her coat, then took Desmen's. "Hungry?" Her friend nodded. On the way to the kitchen, she whispered to Ian, "After all, you look like you fought a demon." The two friends entered the kitchen.

"You know," Desmen said a minute later, getting his own plate of the apple pie Katie had baked a couple days ago, "I came back here to see you."

Katie stuck the fork in her mouth, chewed, then replied slowly, "Thank you, I guess. It's nice to see you, too. But what you said at the club—your family. I thought they lived in the south."

"Yeah, they do, except for my uncle. Hence the 'you' reason."

"Oh. Makes sense, then."

Ian came into the kitchen. "Kate? I need help with something up in the attic."

Desmen set down his plate. "I could help."

"No!" Ian yelled, making Desmen jump a little. "I mean.... no. It's fine. You are our guest. Stay here and eat pie. We'll be right back."

Katie rolled her eyes and joined Ian up the stairs. "Now you're crazy. What do you need?"

The two entered the attic and went over to the Book of Shadows. "Remember when you said I looked like I had fought a demon?"

Katie nodded.

"Well I did. This one." Ian tapped the page that he had opened the Book to before going to the kitchen. "It was a Borneo demon."

Ian then read the description. "Primitive demons that use poisoned darts to attack their victims. Sometimes travel alone, but are usually known to create tribes." Ian sighed. "This could be one of the loners, but I think we better watch out for these guys. Especially with Desmen here."

"Agreed. Did you find out anything on that spell we were talking about?" Katie sat down on the old couch, making dust fly everywhere.

"The protection spell?" Katie nodded. "Not yet..." Ian started turning the pages of the Book, hoping to find something. He then heard footsteps, coming up towards the attic. "Oh no. Kate, stop him."

Katie jumped up and went to the hallway. "Desmen, what you doing?"

"Just seeing if I could help... Is something wrong?" Desmen frowned and tried to look over her shoulder.

"Not at all. Do you have your stuff with you in the car? I can show you your room."

Desmen gave up. "Yeah." They made their way downstairs and outside. Desmen opened the trunk to his car and pulled out a duffle bag. "Kate... Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot." She took the first duffle bag as he pulled out another, which was the last one. A small frown played on her face. He should have more than two bags over the course of a year.

"Are you sure it is okay that I can stay here? Because both you and your brother are acting really strange. And tense." He shut the trunk and the two headed back up the front steps.

She stopped and shifted the weight. "Ian's just really... over protective. He doesn't know you that well, considering we went to different colleges."

Desmen stopped as well and turned to look at Katie. "And you? What's your excuse?" He smiled slightly.

"...I'm an empath?"

"Really?" Desmen said, playing along. "I would think of you as more of a throw-someone-across-the-room type of girl, instead of a feeling-what-others-feel type." Smiling again, Desmen went up the rest of the stairs and through the open door of the manor.

Startled, Katie stood on the steps for a second before catching up to him. "Well... Maybe I'm both," she said, continuing the 'game.'

"All right." Dropping the duffle bag he was holding, Desmen looked into Katie's eyes. "Tell me what I'm feeling now." He leaned in and kissed her.

She leaned into the kiss for a half-second before pulling back. "Uh... Either lust or love. Some say they're similar emotions."

Desmen smiled once more. "Trust me. They're not." He then picked up his duffle bag and turned to the stairs, just as Ian was coming down.

"Hey, Kate. I found something in that book you wanted me to look through."

"What book?" Desmen asked.

Ian hesitated. "Uh.... Tom Sawyer. Katie and I were talking earlier today about stuff and she quoted from that book, but we couldn't remember which character it was. Yeah. So I was looking through it and I think I know who it was now..."

Ian glanced at his sister. "Kate, why don't you show Desmen to the guest bedroom and then I'll show you the book." Without waiting for an answer Ian then head back up the stairs and to the attic.

Katie sighed and walked down the hallway with Desmen. They stopped near the middle on the right-hand side. "Bathroom is near the stairs... And I'm sorry about Ian. Like I said, he's a little paranoid."

"Its fine," Desmen said, going into the room. "I'm going to change out of these clothes."

"All right." He closed the door as Katie went back upstairs. "Look, Ian, I get that you want to save our secret, but could you please do it more subtlety?"

Ian looked up from the Book Of Shadows. "Sorry, but I didn't know what to say! But anyways, I think I have something. There is a spell here that we can use to enchant some crystals. Then we just set those around the perimeter of the house and it should warn us when there is evil in the house. An alarm type thing goes off."

"Okay, let's do it," Katie said, clapping her hands together.

"Well... we don't have the crystals. I looked. But I can pick some up at the Wiccan store tomorrow on my lunch break." Ian thought for a moment. "By the way... what is Desmen going to do when we are off at work? I don't think he should be left here alone..."

"Just lock the attic door. I'm sure it'll be fine." Katie paused at her brother's uneasy look. "Well, I would call in sick, but considering that those are getting too few, I can't."

"Okay, okay." Ian shut the Book. "We lock the door. But if he somehow gets in here and finds out we're witches... I am going to blame you. Now let's go get some sleep."

"I'm used to the blame," she retorted, right before she exited the attic.

---

Ian threw up his hands and the Borneo demon exploded. "So much for there only being one," he muttered. The King male had been reading the morning paper in the kitchen when the demon had attacked. "Good thing Desmen wasn't here to see this."

"See what?" Desmen came into the kitchen.

Ian spun around. "Oh, hey. Um... the coffee spill."

"What coffee spill?" Desmen glanced around, only to see a clean floor.

"The one I just cleaned up." Ian picked up the coffee pot and held out to Desmen. "Want some?"

"...Sure." Desmen took the pot, while staring at Ian.

"Morning," Katie yawned, coming in wearing her business clothes. She grabbed a cup and took the coffee pot from Desmen when he was finished. "Everyone sleep good?"

"I slept fine," Desmen replied.

"Not me," Ian said. "I had a weird dream. That someone was standing over me and scanning me or something. I can't really remember it. You know how dreams fade."

Katie sat down at the table. "Odd." She grabbed an apple from the fruit basket in the center and crunched into it. "So, uh, Desmen. We have to go to work today. Will you be all right here alone?"

Desmen nodded. "Sure. I can watch T.V., read the newspaper. Maybe take a tour of your wonderful house here. Didn't get a chance to last night."

Ian glanced at Katie. "Well," he started.

But Katie interrupted. "That will be fine," she said. "I'll come back to have lunch with you."

Ian glared at Katie and then took his coat off the back of his chair. "Well I have to go to work. I'll be back later in the afternoon." As he walked past Katie he whispered to her, "Borneo demon attacked me this morning. Let's hope none attack here while Desmen is here alone." He then left through the back door.

After Ian left, Desmen sat down at the kitchen table and watched Katie drink her coffee and read the newspaper. She glanced up at him and noticed him staring. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"Only beauty," Desmen replied with a smile. He laughed and looked down. "Sorry that I've been so straight forward. It's just that now that I am here... I feel a connection to you."

"A connection," Katie repeated. "Well, you know, technically we already had a 'connection,' being best friends..."

Desmen nodded. "I know. But I feel something more growing between us. Ever since I got here I have felt that. It was a sudden feeling, but a strong one."

She put down the coffee cup that was in her hands and took a deep breath. "Desmen, I love you, but as a friend. Besides, I learned from college not to trust those sudden feelings," she chuckled mirthlessly.

Desmen's eyes darkened. "Very well." He took a sip of his coffee and stared down at the table.

"So..." Katie shifted in her seat. "What else did you do in California?"

"I already told you. I worked." He did not look at her.

"But you had to do something other than that. You were there for a year." Katie set down her mug. "Did you have any girlfriends while you were there?"

Desmen still didn't look up. "No."

"A whole year and no girlfriends? From what I remember you used to be quite the ladies man," Katie said with a grin.

"Things change. You should know about that." He finally looked up at Katie. "Shouldn't you?"

"Of course. One can't escape it." Katie's mind whirled in panic that he might know that Ian and she were witches, but didn't let it show on her face. "I have to go to work," she said with a glance at the clock on the stove. "Have fun. I'll be back around lunch time."

---

Ian opened the door to his and Allison's office and stepped through. Allison was at her desk. Most of it was cleared off and there were several boxes on the floor. "Um... Allison? What are you doing?"

She looked up and smiled weakly at Ian. "Packing up?"

Ian suddenly grew panicked. "What? Why? Is Derrick firing you? Oh if he is I will blow him up so fast. Or turn him into a toad or something!"

"Ian, no." Allison came over and put her hands on his shoulders. "Derrick isn't firing me." She sighed and looked away. "I was going to tell you last night. But we were interrupted and I didn't know what to say."

"Say what? Allison, what is this about?" She didn't look at him. "Allison, look at me and tell me."

She did look back at Ian and there were tears in her eyes. "I... I'm leaving. I got a job offer in Florida that I couldn't pass up."

Ian was stunned. "You're leaving? .... Leaving?! Why didn't you tell me before? So that we could discuss this."

"I wanted to wait until I was sure that I wanted the job."

"And how long have you known for sure?"

Allison looked away again. "A week."

"A week?! You have known for sure for a week and you didn't tell me. Well that is just great. We are in a relationship, Allison. We are supposed to tell each other things. Especially when one of us is moving out of state!"

"I know, I know. It's just...." She looked Ian in the eye. "I need this. And I have also known something else for awhile." She sighed again and a tear dripped down her cheek. "We're just friends. And I don't think we can really be anymore than that. We are just not right for each other."

Ian felt like he had been stabbed in the heart. "What?"

"It's just not meant to be. And I may be a witch... but before I met you, I didn't run into that many demons. You and your sister seem to be a really big blip on the evil radar. You two are powerful. It is your destiny to have that power and fight the evil. But I don't think it is mine. I can't handle all the big bad. It's not who I am, and it is not who I want to be."

Allison turned away and went back to her desk. "The article that we write today will be my last. I am leaving the day after tomorrow." She glanced back at Ian, who just stood there. "Let's get to work."

---

Katie closed the door quietly and instantly heard the T.V. playing in the living room. "I'm home for lunch," she announced, hanging up her jacket and going into the room, seeing Desmen lying on the couch. "Wanna stay here or go out?"

"I'd like to stay here." Desmen clicked off the T.V., stood up, and followed her into the kitchen.

"Okay, but you make your own lunch," Katie teased. She got out a container of tuna and grabbed a roll of crackers. "Unless you want tuna or some left-overs." After he got two bowls, they sat down at the table and split the fish. "Look, Des, I'm sorry about this morning. It's just... I've had a rough time lately, and—"

Desmen shook his head. "I should be sorry," he said smoothly. "I should've known that you wouldn't respond as I hoped you would."

"Oookay... So we're both sorry to each other." For some reason, she didn't want to continue this discussion. Yet she knew full well she was the one who brought it up. "So have you taken a tour of the house?"

"All except the attic. Mind showing me around up there?"

Katie shook her head. "All that's up there are boxes and books. Much like the basement."

"Still, I'd love to see it."

She frowned. "I couldn't give you a proper tour anyway. I have to leave in a few."

"That's enough—"

"Desmen, no," Katie said firmly. "Why do you want to see it so badly?"

"Call it curiosity." Desmen had this innocent look on his face, yet almost as if looking for something.

"Curiosity killed the cat," she said, raising her eyebrows. Both knew that was a line he used on her years before. "Well, I have to go. I'll be home around three or four, depending. Ian should be home earlier, though."

Desmen stood up and escorted her to the door. "Have fun at work."

She paused. "Right. Well, have fun yourself."

---

Ian opened the front door of the manor and walked in slowly. He had been in a daze like trance ever since that morning. He and Allison had written their last article together, but his heart hadn't been in it. He hadn't eaten lunch and he hadn't talked to anyone. Allison had tried to talk to him, but it had been useless. Ian was non-responsive.

He closed the door and hung up his coat. The house was silent. Desmen wasn't in the living room, or the kitchen. Maybe he is taking a nap, Ian thought. Looking in Desmen's temporary room, Ian found that wasn't true. Then a thought came to him. Ian ran up the stairs and almost slammed into Desmen, who was coming down.

"Whoa! Careful, Ian. You almost ran me down like a semi. Something wrong?" Desmen smiled. A smile that usually made women melt and men respect him.

"What were you doing upstairs?" Ian asked.

"Using the bathroom," Desmen said casually.

"There is a bathroom downstairs. Why use the one up here?" Ian looked Desmen straight in the eye, not blinking.

"Downstairs one was plugged. What's the big deal anyway?" Desmen pushed past Ian and went down the stairs. "You act like you have something to hide." Ian watched Desmen go down the rest of the way and into the living room. A moment later he heard the T.V. turn on.

"Maybe I do," Ian whispered. He went up the stairs to the attic. The door was still locked. Good. He then went quietly down the stairs to the main floor and into the bathroom. The toilet wasn't plugged. Ian glanced off in the direction of where Desmen was. "Maybe you are hiding something as well, Desmen."

---

"Did you set up the spell?" Katie asked an hour and a half later, coming home to find the men on different floors of the house. She had found Ian in his room, lying on his bed.

Ian started, only then noticing Katie was there. "Oh. The spell... right." He cursed silently and then said. "I forgot to pick up the crystals. Sorry."

"What? Why? You're the one paranoid about Desmen finding out our secret."

"I just forgot, okay?!" Ian looked away and stared out of the window.

"All right, okay." She paused. "Is something wrong, Ian?"

"Everything's wrong," Ian whispered. But he turned to his sister and shook his head. "No. No, everything's fine. I'll go pick up the crystals while you and Desmen have dinner. I'm not hungry anyway."

"Have you eaten anything today?"

Ian got up and put on a light jacket. "Yeah," he said. "I had a muffin and coffee this morning."

"...Besides that?"

"Nothing." Ian brushed passed his sister and headed downstairs and out the door.

Katie sighed and went downstairs. "What are you watching?" she asked Desmen, sitting beside him on the couch.

Desmen clicked off the TV with the remote. "Some dumb reality TV show." He looked at Katie. "They don't know what reality really is."

"Yeah, I never did like reality shows myself. They all whine, like they're really, truly suffering..." she stopped before she said too much. Sometimes her friend had that effect on her.

"Hey, do you know what's wrong with your brother? He has been acting pretty strange since he got home." Desmen chuckled. "Stranger than usual."

"No. I tried talking to him just now, but it didn't work." She kicked her shoes off, then curled up, leaning sideways on the couch facing Desmen. "Why?"

"Because he pretty much took my head off just because I was upstairs."

"Might be stress. He has two jobs, you know."

Desmen nodded. "Yep. A club and a newspaper column are two very stressful jobs."

"How'd you know he wrote a column?"

Desmen flinched, but just slightly. "Uh... I was reading the newspaper and I saw an article of his in there."

Katie nodded. "Yeah. He and Allison do a pretty good job together."

"He and her make a good couple."

Katie frowned and sat up straight. "Who told you they were seeing each other?"

Desmen looked into Katie's eyes and smiled. "You did. Last night at the club."

"Oh.. Right. Do you want to go out somewhere to eat? I'd rather wait for Ian, though. He hasn't eaten anything today."

"Why don't you just write him a note?"

She hesitated, but then nodded. "Okay. Let's go."

---

Ian came into the manor, a small bag in his hands. "Kate! I got what we needed for the...." He hesitated, knowing Desmen could hear. "For the... soup!" There was no response. Ian frowned, hung up his jacket, and started searching the house.

After a few minutes, it was obvious that no one was there. "Well, where could they have gone?" Ian entered the kitchen and found a note laying on the table. "Went out for dinner, be back later. Love, Kate." Ian sighed and looked around. "Well, guess this is the perfect time to set up the crystals."

He had left them in the living room, so he went to get them. Upon arriving, three Borneo demons suddenly appeared. "You have killed two of our kind," one of them said. "Now we shall kill you." He brought up his blowgun and shot a dart at Ian.

"Crap!" Ian ducked behind the couch. "You know, you could just go away. That way you won't die. Because every demon to attack us ends up vanquished."

"Well we have a whole tribe to throw at you," said another of the Borneo demons. "You shall become weary soon enough. But our tribe won't."

"Wanna bet?" Ian stood up and shot out his hands. The demon who had just been speaking exploded. He then heard a dart being released from a blowgun. Spinning around, Ian saw the dart stop right before it hit him. It was frozen. Along with the demons.

"You all right?" It was Allison. She came over and plucked the dart out of the air.

"What... what are you doing here?" Ian asked.

"I saw how upset you were.... and I thought that we should talk." She glanced at the two frozen demons. "Maybe we should take care of them first though, huh?" She chucked the dart she had taken right at the demon who had originally shot it. It struck him in the neck, forcing the demon out of the freeze, but a second later his head shrunk from the darts poison and he turned to dust.

Ian waved his hands and the remaining Borneo exploded. "Ok," he said, turning to Allison, "what is there to talk about?"

"What do you mean, what is there to talk about? There is tons. This moving thing is hard for me, too."

Ian threw up his hands. "Yeah. Very hard for you. Not hard for me at all, when you suddenly drop this on me. And also you suddenly saying that you don't want to be with me? When did this come up? Just a month ago you said you loved me."

"And I do!" Allison's eyes began to fill with tears. "But... just as a friend. I didn't figure this out until just recently."

"But you waited to talk to me about it.... No, not talk, just tell. You waited to tell me about it until just the right time. Where you also had some other news to fuel the fire. The force behind the punch." Ian looked away. "Telling someone that you are moving a day before you are doing it is not something a friend would do. And then stabbing that person with even more pain?" Ian turned and stared into Allison's eyes. "That's only something you would expect from a cruel, heartless person."

"Ian—"

"No. Get out, Allison." Ian pointed to the door of the manor.

"But—"

"OUT!"

Tears falling freely now, Allison ran out of the manor. And even after she had left, Ian could still hear her sobbing in his mind.

---

"Ian, you back yet?" Katie called upstairs, tugging off her shoes after taking off her coat. "I'm going to look upstairs," she told Desmen. She went up the steps, her hand trailing on the banister. "Ian?" she asked quietly, knocking on his bedroom door. For some reason, she could feel something was wrong with him.

"Come in." Ian's voice could barely be heard. It was a hoarse whisper, just enough to be heard through the door.

She pushed open the door, closing it behind her. "What's up?" Katie sat on the edge of the bed, facing her brother.

Ian's face was weary looking. His eyes... blank. "Nothing. I'm just.... thinking."

"Thinking about...?"

"Everything. About... why me? I fight evil everyday. I protect the innocent. On the normal section of life, I think I'm a pretty decent guy. So why did this happen to me?"

"Ian, what happened?"

His voice came out weakly. "Allison is leaving. The day after tomorrow. And you know what else?" Ian sighed. "She doesn't love me." Rolling his eyes, he continued. "Well, as a friend she says she does. But that's not the love I am talking about."

"Oh," Katie said softly. "It hurts, I know. When I left Nathan in Hawaii, I didn't want to register the fact that the man I loved practically told me to leave. But I got through it. You helped me to. You have to accept that the woman you love is leaving. Maybe she's trying to protect you from more hurt by saying you're just friends, I don't know. You can cry and scream all you want about it, but it's not going to change anything." She paused, wondering where this wisdom was coming from. "You can get through it though."

Ian glanced at his sister. "I know I can... but I don't want to have the 'get through it' part. I just want the pain and the anger and everything else to be gone now."

"Well it isn't going to happen. It will go away... just not 'right now.'"

There was a knock on the door and the two siblings looked up. Desmen stood in the doorway, holding up a bag. "Uh... hey. Sorry if I'm intruding. I just wanted to know if this is yours, Ian." He looked in the bag. "Some kind of.... crystals?"

Ian jumped up and grabbed the bag. "Yeah, they're mine. They are for my.... rock collection."

Desmen raised an eyebrow. "I never knew you kept a rock collection."

"It's a... new hobby of mine. Rocks. Heh. Very... shiny." Ian turned to his sister. "Um, Kate. There was one more thing I wanted to talk to you about." He glanced back at Desmen. "Alone, if you wouldn't mind."

Desmen raised his hands in mock defense. "No problem here. I don't want to get in the way of you two. I'll just be downstairs."

"Thanks," Ian said, as the other man left.

"Okay... What is it?" Katie raised an eyebrow expectantly.

Ian sat back down on the bed. "There's.... something strange about Desmen."

"You hardly even know him. He's not usually weird. You're freaking him out, probably," she teased lightly.

"But.... he was upstairs. And he told me he was using the bathroom because the downstairs one was plugged. Well I checked... and it wasn't."

"Well maybe he wanted some meds from the upstairs mirror. We don't keep the downstairs one stocked well."

"Then why didn't he just say that? Or better yet, ask for the medication from one of us." Ian sighed. "I just don't think he can be trusted."

Katie stood up and frowned. "I've known him for three, four years. You've only met him once. Don't judge him so quickly." She turned on her heel and left the room, slamming his door shut.

"Ugh! Why is all this happening to me?!" Ian shot out his hands and the vase on his dresser exploded. He sighed again and then laid back on his bed to think.

---

Ian got up early the next morning to set up the crystals around the household. It took him more time than he thought it would since he kept zoning out; thinking of Allison and Katie and Desmen.

He finally finished and went into the kitchen for some breakfast. Desmen was there. The two stayed silent for a moment, both staring the other in the eye. "Morning," Ian finally said. Desmen just nodded.

Ian sat down and picked up the newspaper, searching through it for the page he usually read. "Um... where's the Business page?"

"I got it," Desmen said.

Ian glared. It was a small thing, Desmen having his part of the paper, but it really annoyed Ian. He sighed and got up to get some coffee. There was none.

"Sorry," Desmen said, sipping from his mug. "I got the last of it."

Clenching his teeth Ian looked through the cupboards for his cereal. It wasn't there. He turned to Desmen. Sure enough, there was a bowl on the table in front of Desmen. It was mostly empty, but Ian could see the remains of his daily cereal in there. "Desmen... why did you eat my cereal?"

Desmen didn't look up from the paper. "Didn't see your name on it, bud."

Muttering to himself, Ian looked in the fridge for something else. A moment later he heard Desmen swear. "What is it?" Ian said, turning around. He then groaned. On the table was the business page, soaked in coffee. "Oh great. Now I don't get to read it."

Desmen got up from the table and shrugged. "It's no big deal. Read something else." He then just left the room, not even bothering to clean up the spill.

Ian's blood boiled. His eyes narrowed, his fists and teeth clenched. Crack! Ian turned to the window to see a small crack in it. "Okay... I have to keep my temper under control. Or else I might just blow this place sky high."

---

"Hey," Katie greeted Desmen. He was just starting to go into the guest room. "Is... something wrong?"

"Your brother is starting to go insane," he replied, then closed the door behind him.

She rubbed her temples, a headache coming on already. "Ugh, men..." She walked into the kitchen and saw Ian cleaning up the table. "What did you spill?"

"I didn't spill anything. It was Desmen. And he got it all over my section of the paper." Ian threw the coffee soaked paper into the trash. "And he drank the rest of the coffee and ate the rest of my cereal. This guy is just getting on my last nerve."

"Well how was he supposed to know it was your section of the paper, and your cereal?"

Ian hesitated. "...I don't know. But... he didn't even clean up the coffee that he spilled! And if you ask me.. that guy is evil or something." He smiled, deviously. "Can we vanquish him?"

"No!" She punched his arm lightly, then started some fresh coffee. "He's not a demon, is he?"

"Well... I set up the crystals. And if he really was a demon, some kind of alarm would have gone off by now. So I guess not." Ian sighed. "Well I am going to go to the club and do some of my writing there while I do club work. I don't feel like going to The Central today. Allison might stop in for a last goodbye or something and I don't want to see her." He grabbed his coat and keys, gave a small wave to his sister, and then left through the back door.

Katie left the kitchen to go to Desmen's door. "Des, I'm about to leave for work. I'd like to talk."

The door opened. "Okay. Then talk."

She let out a deep breath and went on: "Ian's starting to get... irritable. Could you help out around here and try not to get on his nerves? He's going through a hard time now."

Desmen nodded. "Yeah, sure. I didn't mean to irritate him. I didn't even know I was." He thought for a second and then said, "You know, I think I'll swing by the club and apologize to him."

"Okay. He should be there all day. It might help." There was a pause. "So I'll see you after work. Bye." She left out the front door after giving him a grateful smile.

A smile of his own crossed Desmen's face. "See you soon."

---

Ian rubbed his temples as he sat at the bar of King's Corner. He hadn't gotten any work done. He just sat there, staring at the wall across the room. Thoughts of Allison flitted through his mind. Everything had been going so well. Then she just drops this bombshell on him. At that moment, Ian didn't even know if he wanted to see her ever again.

The sound of someone coming down the stairs shook Ian out of his state. He looked up to see who it was. Desmen. "Hey," Ian said, with a not too welcoming tone.

"Hey." Desmen put his hands in his pockets. "Um, I came here to just hang out. It's boring at the house. You got some beer I can have?"

"You have $2.50?" Ian smirked.

"Uh... no. I thought you would just give it to me for free." He shrugged. "Since I'm your sister's best friend and all."

Shaking his head, Ian said, "Sorry. Only family and MY friends get drinks free. You want something, you have to pay for it."

Desmen glared. "You know, your sister was right."

"Right about what?"

"That you have a hard head and are way too stubborn." He smiled. "And I full heartedly agree with her."

Ian stood up and moved out from behind the bar. "I think you should leave. Or else...."

"Or else what? You'll blow me up?" Ian's eyes widened. "Oh yeah. I know all about you two. That you're witches, you have powers, and you fight demons."

"And how long have you known?" Ian was tensing up, being very cautious.

"Since you first got your powers."

"But how? You've been in California."

Desmen laughed and shook his head. "No, I haven't. I have been in New York City this whole time. Watching you two. Studying you. Trying to find a way to kill you."

"You're a demon..."

"Oh yeah. And you know what demons do? Kill witches." Desmen took his hands out of his pockets. A fireball appeared in his right hand. "It's been nice knowing you, Ian. Oh. Wait. No it hasn't. So, good riddance."

Desmen threw the fireball and Ian dove to the floor and then rolled back up to his feet. "Sorry Desmen. You've got nothing on me. And it actually makes me glad that you are a demon."

Desmen frowned. "Why?"

"Because then I won't feel bad about killing you." Ian shot out his hands, releasing his power. But it just passed around Desmen, instead hitting a chair.

"Nice try, Ian. But as I said... I have been studying you. I've watched almost every battle you have fought. I know how you fight. And I know how to get around your powers." He shot another fireball and Ian launched himself into the air, floating up to the ceiling. "Oh, good move. But I have one of my own."

An electric blue whip materialized in Desmen's hands and he swung it up at Ian. The magic whip wrapped around Ian's legs. Desmen gave a sharp tug and Ian was pulled down to the floor, landing face first. "Ouch. That looks like it hurt."

"Not as much as this will." Ian raised himself up and shot out one hand at Desmen. As before, the power just went around the demon to hit something else.

Shaking his head, Desmen smiled and said, "Don't you ever learn? Now I really think it is time for you to die."

"I don't think so." Ian directed his power to the floor, directly in front of Desmen. An explosion ensued, knocking the demon to the floor, sending debris everywhere, and creating a blinding cloud of dust. Ian took this moment and ran past Desmen and out of the club.

He quickly jumped into his car and sped off, taking out his cell phone while trying to steer. "Kate!" he said when he had gotten an answer. "Meet me back at the manor now. We have a demon problem. And it's Desmen."

---

Ian burst into the manor and shut the door behind him. "Katie!" he yelled out. "Kate, you home yet?!"

His sister came out from the living room, glaring at him. "What do you have against Desmen? You were on his case a few hours ago. And now this."

Ian's mouth hung open. "I can't believe that you don't believe me."

"Well, why should I? You just don't like him. And if he was a demon your crystal alarm thing would go off, right?"

"Well maybe I did something wrong with the spell. But he is a demon. He attacked me at the club. Almost killed me since my powers won't work on him."

"You're delusional. I can't see him ever doing that."

As Ian was about to reply, the blue-white orbs signaled Rob's arrival. "What is going on? I could hear you two yelling across the state."

"Ian's thinking that Desmen is evil. When in fact he just doesn't like him."

"I know what I saw," Ian retorted. "And I saw him using demonic powers!"

"Liar. Why don't you just admit it?"

"I'm not lying! Rob, tell her that I'm not lying."

Rob looked at the two of them for a moment. "Uh... Who's Desmen?"

"Demon," Ian said. "He said he has been watching us for several years. Waiting for us to get our powers and then waiting for the right time to kill us. And he tried to kill me at the club."

"Desmen is my best friend, and he has been for years! I've known him since college; I'd think I'd know if he was evil. And he isn't," Katie shot back.

Rob glanced at Ian and then back at Katie. "But Katie, why would your brother have any reason to lie to you? Especially about something like this."

"Well, he never did like him. Even this morning, he got all mad because Desmen didn't do something his way."

"But even so, I doubt Ian would lie about being attacked."

"You're right about that, Whitelighter." Desmen suddenly stepped into the room and grinned evilly at Katie. "Sorry, Kate, but your brother isn't lying. I have studied you two for a long time. And now I have come to get what I have waited so long for: your powers."

"What the hell?" Katie traded a glance with Ian. His expression was mixed with sorrow and a slight "I-told-you-so" look, but there was anger too. "Des, what—what's going on?"

"Katie, Katie, Katie," Desmen said smoothly, shaking his head. "Don't you see? I am here... to kill you and your brother. To be the first to finish the job, out of all the demons that attacked you over the last year or so."

She took a deep breath. "And all this time... none of it was real, was it?"

"Nope. But you're a great kisser; we should do it again." Desmen grinned and took a step forward.

"All right, that does it!" Ian advanced on Desmen and unleashed a powerful kick. Desmen blocked it and then pulled an athame from his jacket, slashing it at Ian who ducked at the last second. Ian straightened up and kicked the athame out of Desmen's hand.

"You can't beat me," Desmen said, knocking Ian to the floor with a punch to Ian's jaw. "I have studied how you fight for so long that I know everything you are going to do before you do it."

"I really, really doubt that," Ian retorted. He then kicked Desmen right in the crotch and the demon bent over in pain. Getting to his feet, Ian grabbed Desmen by his neck and jacket and threw him into the foyer table.

During all this Katie and Rob stood to the side, watching the fight. Rob knew he couldn't fight the demon and was prepared to heal, but Katie was just staring at Desmen in shock. Pain was etched across her face from learning that her best friend from college was a demon.

Desmen suddenly got up, turned, and threw a fire ball at Ian, who levitated up and avoided the attack. But as Ian came down, Desmen tackled him and grabbed Ian around the throat, choking him. Rob tried to go to help, but Desmen shot a fireball at the Whitelighter that sent him to the floor and into unconsciousness.

"Katie!" Ian gasped as Desmen continued to choke him. "Help me!"

His sister took an involuntary back, staring at the two men fighting. Ian's hands clawed at Desmen's hands, trying to get them from off around his throat. It seemed futile. Katie tore her eyes from the struggle and saw the athame laying on the floor. She could see herself doing it, yet she still hesitated. She looked over at the fight again.

"Katie!"

The call from Ian spurred her into action. Forgetting the knife, she threw herself onto Desman, throwing him on the ground and started to pummel his face and chest.

She only got in a few punches when Desmen pushed Katie off of him. They both stood and Desmen pushed Katie against the wall, holding her there. His eyes glowed red. "Any last words?"

Katie stared at Desmen and tears welled up in her eyes. "I thought you were my friend," she whispered.

"You thought wrong." Desmen then reached for Katie's throat to choke the life out of her. Then his face was suddenly contorted in pain. Desmen released his hold on Katie, let out a groan, and then vaporized in a burst of flames.

As the smoke cleared Katie saw her brother standing there, athame in hand. "You ok?" he asked.

"Perfectly fine. Couldn't be better." Katie quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "You, uh... better wake up Rob."

Ian nodded. Suddenly, a Borneo demon appeared, two others appearing on either side of him. This one wore a large robe and had more ceremonial clothes.

"Witch," he said, pointing at Ian. " I am the Borneo Chief of this tribe. You have destroyed many of my tribe. Now I come in person with my two best guards to dispose of you myself."

Ian rolled his eyes. "You know, I am really sick of you guys. And I have had a long day. So I am just going to make this quick."

The Borneo Chief didn't have a chance to respond, for Ian raised his hands and released his power. The Chief exploded and his two guards backed up a few steps, staring at the place where their leader had been.

"Now," Ian said, keeping his hands raised, "I suggest that you tell your tribe to stay away from here. Or all of you are going to end up like your now former Chief." The Borneo demons stood there for a second more and then disappeared. Ian dropped his hands to his side with a sigh of relief. "I swear, if I see one more of those guys, I am going to go insane." He then went to go wake up Rob.

---

Katie sighed as she shuffled into the kitchen. It was midnight, and she couldn't sleep. She grabbed the apple juice carton out from the refrigerator, looked at how little juice there was, and decided it wasn't worth the glass. Yawning, she parked herself in a chair by the window where the moonlight was flooding through, making the kitchen silver.

Ian came into the room and sat down at the table. "Hey. Can't sleep either, huh?"

"What?" Her mind was jerked out of her daydream. "Oh. No, I couldn't."

"You thinking about Desmen?"

"You thinking about Allison?"

"You are changing the subject. But yes, I am. I'm not as mad as before, but I still can't believe she didn't tell me she was leaving before."

"Yeah, well, there's probably a reason she didn't tell you."

Ian nodded. "She probably knew that I would get mad or try to stop her from leaving. Now I can't stop her."

"Might be for the best."

"Well this new job she is going to is a great opportunity for her. She has to think about her life and what is best for her. ... Even though she is hurting someone who loves her." Ian sighed. "But she doesn't love me, so it doesn't matter."

Katie's voice became distant as she looked back out the window. "If it does to you, it matters."

Ian nodded. "You're right. I should go see her in the morning." Ian watched Katie for a moment. "Now back to you. How are you feeling?"

"I don't really want to talk about it, if you don't mind."

"Maybe you don't want to... But I think you need to. You thought Desmen was your friend for a long time and then you found out tonight who he really was. That's something huge. And you can't hold those feelings in. It's not good to do that."

"Tell you what. I'll handle this my own way, you handle your problems your way." She whipped her hand away from her and the juice carton slammed into the garbage can. Ian shook his head and then got up and left the room, heading back to bed.

Katie watched him leave. Part of her wanted to run to him for comfort like she did when they were younger. Of course, that was years ago and not an option. She sighed again and leaned back in the chair. Unbidden tears clouded her sight. Life sometimes really sucked.

---

The next morning Ian knocked on Allison's apartment door. "Just a minute!" A minute later the door opened and Allison stood there. "Ian. Um.. hi."

"Hey. Can I come in?" Allison nodded and stepped back. Ian entered the apartment and looked around. There were a few boxes sitting here and there, but most everything was gone. "Looks like you are pretty much ready to go," Ian said quietly.

"Yep. The U-Haul already took the furniture, but the rest I am packing into my car. I was just about to bring this stuff out and leave when you came."

Ian suddenly turned and grabbed Allison in an embrace and kissed her. After a few moments Ian broke the kiss and looked into Allison's eyes. "Please," he whispered. "Don't go. Stay here with me."

Allison gently pushed Ian away and out of the embrace. "I can't. You know that. Ian, I'm sorry, but I have to do this for me. I have a great opportunity in front of me and I'm taking it."

"You said before you just loved me as a friend. But I just can't believe that. I think we have something here. Yet if you tell me, we all sincerity and truth that you don't love me... then I guess I will just have to let you go. Now, tell me. Do you love me?"

Allison stared at Ian for a long while. Tears were dripping down her face. But finally she drew in a breath and spoke, her voice clear and serious. "I don't."

Ian turned away and sighed. "Then I guess it's time for you to go. I'll... I'll help you with the last of these boxes." Ian picked up two of the boxes and Allison got the last.

The two left the apartment and Allison locked the door for the last time. After dropping off the key to the owner, they headed out to Allison's car. The back of it was full of boxes, but there was just enough room in the front passenger seat for the rest.

Allison then turned to Ian and smiled a tight smile. Her face was still wet with tears. "Well, I guess this is goodbye."

Ian nodded. "I guess so."

Allison grabbed Ian in a hug and held him tightly. "I'll miss you. And hey, I'll be back to visit someday." She let go and looked at Ian. "Bye." Ian didn't say anything. Tears were now welling up in his eyes.

Allison got in her car, waved out the window, and then drove off down the street. Ian watched her go. He knew that he loved her. That she was something special. And now she was leaving and there was nothing he could do about it.

As her car disappeared over a hill, Ian whispered, "Goodbye Allison."


	24. Through the Looking Glass

After long wait, we have finished Season One. I'd like to take this time to thank everyone who reviewed, and even those who haven't and have read this... thing. This would be the time to thank my parents and family, but screw them. Ian and me did this by ourselves. Well, mostly. Dunno if he got help from his family...

Okay, shutting up. To thank you, here is THE finale. And, five seconds later... the Season Two Premiere.

* * *

Ian sat at his desk in The Central news beareu, staring at a picture of Allison. It had been just a few days since she had left; Ian was still devastated. All of it had happened so suddenly. Their break up, her leaving, everything.

He and Katie had not been doing so well either. Their trust had been severed between one another from the Desmen incident. When Katie had refused to believe that Ian was telling the truth about Desmen being a demon until she saw it with her own eyes, Ian had just not felt as close with her. He felt as though she didn't always trust him. And that hurt him.

There was a knock at the door and Ian looked up. "Hey Derek. Have you found me a new partner yet?"

Derek smiled. "We haven't been looking."

Ian set down the picture of Allison and frowned. "Why not? You aren't planning on cutting the column are you? Are you going to fire me? You are. That's why you haven't been looking. Is this because Allison left? Or is it my writing? Is it not good enough? That's it, isn't it? My writing sucks so you are firing me."

Derek held up his hands. "Whoa, slow down. We are not firing you."

"Oh. Well okay, then why have you not been looking for a replacement partner?"

"Because the other administrators and I have decided that you don't need one. Think of this as a promotion. You have your own column and a raise in pay."

Ian's mouth dropped open. "Are you kidding?" he finally got out.

"Nope," Derek said, shaking his head. "Congratulations. Now go out and celebrate. But be in here tomorrow, on time, and get ready to write your first column by yourself." Derek then turned and left the office.

---

Katie sat at her desk, concentrating hard on a simple task. It wasn't that she found it hard, but lately it seemed like everything was in a haze. Ever since they had to vanquish her once-best-friend, it took an effort to do the easiest things in everyday life.

"Katelyn!" Her boss's voice cut through her thoughts. She looked up, startled by the use of her full name.

"Yes sir?" she asked mildly, indistinctly.

Mr. Knight shook his head. "Did you not notice the client outside your door?" He nodded toward an older woman behind him.

"Oh... Sorry. Come in." Automatically she switched into her business mode. Once she finally got the problem out of the customer, she plugged the CPU into her monitor and set to work.

---

"Go home," Knight said after seeing her for the third time 'slacking' off. "It's light today anyway."

Katie nodded and gathered up her things. "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow." She flashed a fake smile at her boss and walked outside to her car.

She was almost home when she came across a yard sale. Slowing down, she looked through her window to see what kind of junk they had for sale. She decided it was worth it to at least take a look, so she parked the car, got out, and went over to the selling-area.

There were rows of random items; old books, children clothes, knick-knacks. But after looking at the less-than-useful of those items, she was drawn to a table that held an old mirror.

It was priced at only fifty cents, but could've easily gotten ten times that much. An antique of great design, it seemed to hold more than a reflection. Katie picked the mirror up and went to pay for it.

"Are you sure you want that mirror?" was the question asked when she approached the woman that seemed to be in charge.

Katie frowned slightly. "Quite sure. You do want to sell this?"

"Right, of course. Fifty cents."

She rolled her eyes mentally as she pulled out two quarters. She walked away, wondering somewhat why the woman was acting so strange during the process of paying.

---

Ian heard the front door open and came into the foyer from where he had been in the living room. "Hey," he said to his sister who was hanging up her jacket on the coat peg.

"Hi."

"Why are you home so early?"

Katie shrugged. "Boss got kinda mad at me. Sent me home." She set her bag down on the hall table and sighed. "What about you?"

"Boss was happy with me. Sent me home."

"Oh lucky you. Well I'm going to go get some dinner." She started to walk towards the kitchen when a demon appeared in her path. Katie screamed and ducked as the demon swung his arm to hit her. He then pulled out a dagger and slashed Katie across the face as she straightened back up.

"Katie!" Ian yelled as his sister dropped to her knees. He threw up his hands and the demon combusted in a burst of flame. He went over to Katie and helped her up. "That cut looks bad. We better call Rob to heal it." Katie nodded weakly and Ian called out their whitelighter's name.

Rob orbed in a second later and quickly went over to the couch the siblings had sat down on. "What happened?" he asked as he raised his hand to Katie's face. She flinched away, but immediately felt better as the golden light came out of his hands.

"Demon attack. This one had an knife," Ian replied.

"Thanks, Rob." Katie said once he was done healing.

The whitelighter nodded. "Anytime."

"Should we be worried about this guy?" Ian asked. "I mean... was he with some demon gang and there are more, or was he a loner?"

Katie stood up. "Well, considering most are loners lately, he probably is too. I'm gonna go make dinner," she said, walking out of the living room.

Ian sighed. "Are you two still... not on good terms?" Rob asked.

Ian nodded. "We talk peacefully and all. No fighting. But it's just not the same. It's like our bond that we had has been severed. And I'm mad at her. For not trusting me."

"Well don't be too hard on her. It was her best friend you were accusing. And you don't always believe everything she says, do you?"

"No, but this was about a demon. I would not lie about that. I wouldn't even lie about anything to her."

"Maybe she thought that since you were going through that thing with Allison that you were just looking for someone... anyone to let your anger out on."

Ian shook his head. "No. She down right did not believe me until she saw who he really was." He sighed again. "You know... they say trust and honesty are the most important things in life. You never really believe it... but it's true. I don't think anything will be the same between the two of us for a long time." He got up and went into the foyer.

He noticed something reflecting the foyer lights in Katie's purse. "What is that?" He went over to the purse and found an old looking handheld mirror sticking out of it. "Where did she get this?" He picked it up and was pulled into a major vision. He saw it all in a split second and then opened his eyes, gasping for breath.

Rob came running over to him. "What is it? What did you see?"

Breathing in, Ian got enough air to speak. "I'm... I'm not sure. I saw our world. But everything was different. It didn't make any sense." He looked at the mirror that he held in his hand. "Time to find out where Katie got this," Ian said. "Kate!"

"What?" Katie came out of the kitchen with a bowl of Easy Mac.

Ian held up the mirror. "Where'd you get this?"

"Yard sale," she replied, sticking a spoonful of the macaroni in her mouth. "Why?"

"I just got a vision off of it. Like some sort of other dimension or—" He was cut off by the mirror glowing with a bright light.

"What the hell?" Rob muttered. Katie was about to reply when they were all pulled into the mirror.

Alone in the house, the mirror fell to the ground and broke in dozens of pieces.

---

"What happened?" Katie asked quietly as she stood up. The other two were just stirring; they had landed hard on the ground and been stunned. As she waited, she looked around the manor. They were in the same place where they were minutes before, but everything seemed... blacker, darker. "At least I know why the mirror was cheap."

"Ow," Ian groaned, getting to his feet. He glanced around. "Ok, we didn't move. But... where's the mirror? And why are all the lights off?"

No one had a chance to answer, for a second later the door burst open. Three figures came running in. Neither Ian, Katie, or Rob could see their faces in the shadows. But these people were big. And they carried weapons. One pulled the trigger of their strange looking gun and a red laser shot from it.

"Whoa!" Ian ducked and the blast went over him and hit the wall, burning a hole in it. As Ian straightened back up the other two figures advanced. Ian levitated and spun in the air, giving a round house kick to both of them.

One of them fell to the floor in a spot where lights from outside streamed in. The facial features were strange; definitely not human. Ian came back down to the floor and he and the others spun around to find more people rushing at them from the dinning room. In just a few seconds they were surrounded.

The person who had first shot at Ian stepped forward, his gun raised. "By the order of the Tansarian Council, you three are under arrest."

"On what charge?" Katie exclaimed as six people came forward, two for each of them. Their hands were bound behind their backs. She started to fight against them, but subdued when Ian shook his head.

"For the murder of Ambassador Sa'ine." The first man motioned with his gun, and the six led the way outside.

The outdoors was almost the same in the house, except the moon poured down everywhere. Yet the light was paler, without the same vigor it held in their own world. "This is getting to be too weird," Katie muttered to her brother. Ian nodded silently.

They were taken to a prison compound. One that the three of them knew had not been there before. It was different than any other holding facility. It had very high tech machinery and there we other things that Ian, Katie, nor Rob had ever seen before.

There were guards everywhere. Each of them looked the same. Ian suspected them to be demons. After all, what else could they be?

Finally, the three of them were thrown into a holding cell, left alone. But only for a minute. The door opened and in stepped a very high-rank-looking being. "So, you have finally been captured," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, as if he were almost muttering to himself.

"What do you mean 'finally?'" Ian asked. "We didn't do what you said we did. We don't even understand what you think we did."

The 'man' chuckled. "You killed our Ambassador during first contact with this world. It started the whole war."

"First contact?" Katie raised an eyebrow. "Since when do demons make first contact?"

"We aren't demons," the man told her. "We're the Tansars, coming to your planet for the first time. Hence the term 'first contact.'"

Rob nodded slowly, thinking the information over. "So you're from another world."

"Very good."

"What is this, Star Trek?" Katie asked sarcastically, throwing up her hands. The alien, as he actually was, just stared at her.

"Guess they've never watched that show," Ian whispered. "Ok, Mr. Alien. We didn't do any killing. See, we are not even sure how we got here. I don't think this is even our reality."

Another chuckle. "Heard that excuse before. Now, don't worry. You will be taken well care of... Until the execution." He then turned and left the cell.

"All right," Ian said, "What do we do now?"

"Why don't you try to use your powers on the door?" Rob suggested.

"I'll try." Ian raised his hands and was about to release his power when there was a sudden explosion from outside and the whole building shook. Sirens wailed and screams could be heard. "Ok, we are getting out of here." Ian shot his hands out at the door and it exploded outward. "Let's go!"

They rushed out into the hall. Smoke was everywhere, making it hard to see. Even though there was obviously something major going on three guards noticed Ian, Katie, and Rob trying to escape. They ran at them.

"My turn." Katie stepped up in front of Ian and Rob. She swung her arm at the oncoming guards and they flew back, crashing and sliding across the floor.

"Nice," Ian yelled over all the noise.

The trio then continued on and finally got outside. An attack on the compound was in progress. It wasn't mortals doing it. Nor demons. There were only three people standing there, now face to face with Ian, Ron, and Katie. Faces that looked very familiar, since they were the faces of themselves.

"Oh my god," Katie said. "They look just like us. Except... evil."

"Oh, we are evil," Katie's twin said. "And just what the hell are you?"

"You, obviously," Rob mumbled. "I think you were right earlier, Ian. I think we are in a different reality. One where you two are evil."

"Not just us," Ian said, nodding towards the opposing Rob. "He looks pretty evil to me."

"I'm a Darklighter."

Katie frowned. "What's that?"

"No time to explain," Rob said. His voice was filled with fear. "We have to get out of here."

"Oh, you're not going anywhere." The "evil" Ian smiled. "My sister, my friend, and I want to have some fun. And it seems like you might be a challenge."

"Got that right," Katie said.

But before anyone could do anything they heard a yell come from the entrance to the compound. Twelve Tarsarians rushed out and circled around the six of them, weapons drawn. The Tarsarian that had spoken with Ian, Kate, and Rob in the holding cell was also there.

"Don't think you can escape," he said. "We can't let you get away you are too dangerous too...." He stopped. He had noticed that there were two sets of the same people. "What the...?"

Katie pointed at their evil selves. "They are the ones you want. They are the ones who actually live in this reality. We're just visiting. And we didn't kill anyone."

The Tarsarian stood there, stunned. "But... how is it possible?"

"We don't know," Ian said.

"And _we_ don't care." The evil Ian then conjured an energy ball and launched it at the Tarsarian. The alien burst into flames and his scream was cut off as he exploded.

Chaos ensued. The guards rushed at all six of them. Evil Katie raised her arm and fire shot from her hand, incinerating several of the aliens. And the Darklighter Rob suddenly had a crossbow in his hands. He shot an arrow from it, the projectile hitting one Tarsarian in the throat, making him fall to the ground, gasping. A moment later the alien was dead.

Ian and the other two backed away from it all, Katie holding off the guards that attacked them with her telekinesis. "We have to get out of here," Rob said.

"Yeah, but how?" Katie asked.

"Hey!" someone called. "Over here!"

The three looked to where the voice came from. A woman stood over in the trees with several other people. She was motioning for them to come near. They ran over to the trees, trying to not be noticed by their evil selves or the Tarsarians.

"Welcome," the woman said when they had gotten to her. "We know you are not evil. We can sense it... And it is obvious since there are two sets of you and the other is using evil powers."

The three of them regarded the group warily. "Who are you?" Ian asked, taking the lead.

"Witches, neutral in this war. We have taken it on ourselves to try and stop it."

"By yourself," Katie said in disbelief. "How can a small group of witches end a whole war against the world?"

The woman smiled. "You'd be surprised."

"So this whole war started because our evil selves killed the Tarsarians Ambassador during first contact?" Ian asked.

The woman nodded. "Once that happened magic was exposed. And the mortal race blames all of us, not just evil, for starting the war. They think we are all freaks whether we are good or not."

"So what are your plans for stopping this war?"

Glancing at her fellow witches the woman said, "We are not too sure. All we can do at the moment is try to stop battles that take place. That's why we are here at this compound. To try and stop this battle."

They all looked back over to where the evil Kings and the evil Rob were still fighting with the Tarsarians. Most were dead, but some were still fighting. And they desperately needed help.

"Then let's stop it." Ian went into his leader mode. Standing tall, he led the way back to the front of the compound.

"Ian, wait!" Katie grabbed her brother's arm. "How are we supposed to fight... ourselves?"

"We just have to get them to back off. But don't kill them. Who knows what would happen then?" He ran towards his double kick up, hitting Evil-Ian's arm. The energy ball he had been holding flew off and hit the wall of the compound instead of hitting its intended target, a Tarsarian that was cowering on the ground.

Ian's twin turned to him, outraged. "Back off! I don't know how you got here, but I won't hesitate to kill you."

"Really? Because you never know. If you kill me, you might die as well. And we won't let you kill these people. We will get in the way of your attacks if we have to."

This startled the evil twin. He let out a sigh and turned to 'Katie' and 'Rob'. "Let's go," he said. The three of them joined up and disappeared, each in their own way. 'Ian' shimmered, 'Katie' flamed out, and 'Rob' dark-orbed.

Ian turned to his sister and the others. "Phew. Glad he didn't decide to fight anyways. I don't know what would have happened then."

"Well, evil or not, most of the time you have the brains." Katie shrugged. "But I kinda like that fire power I—the evil one has."

"Yeah, just remember: she's evil. Let's try not to turn down that path." Ian turned and looked at Rob who was staring at the ground. "What's wrong with you?"

"My evil self is a Darklighter," Rob said quietly.

Katie frowned. "And what's that?"

"The total opposite of a Whitelighter. And they are the only ones who can kill a Whitelighter."

"How do they do that?" Ian asked.

"Their crossbows carry arrows that are soaked in a poison that is deadly to Whitelighters. When one of us is shot with a Darklighter's arrow it is only a matter of time before death consumes us."

"So we'll keep us between you and you're bad self," Ian said calmly. "We won't let him get to you."

Rob shook his head. "You don't understand..."

"Oh right," Katie said suddenly. "Ian doesn't know."

Ian glanced from his sister to his Whitelighter. "What don't I know?"

Katie sighed. "Well I was talking to Rob a few weeks ago and I asked him why I have a Whitelighter power if I'm not a Whitelighter. And Rob told me that... Dad was half Whitelighter."

A look of realization came over Ian's face. "So that means..."

Katie nodded. "We are part Whitelighter. That's why I can orb."

"It's actually also why you two can sort of sense one another," Rob said. "Like a mild mind link. Whitelighters can sense each other and sense their charges. So you two can do that as well."

"Well why don't I have any Whitelighter powers," Ian asked. "Why can't I orb or anything?"

"The Whitelighter gene in you is a recessive gene and the witch gene is the dominant one. So You still have Whitelighter blood, but the Whitelighter power gene is dormant." Rob sighed. "Which brings us back to the Darklighter. All three of us could be killed by the arrow's poison. It would just take you two longer to die from it."

"Is there any cure?" Katie asked.

Rob shook his head. "The only way to cure it is to be healed by another Whitelighter. So if I'm hit..." He let that sentence hang there.

"We have to be careful, then. No running into battle," Katie said pointedly, glancing at Ian. "Besides, if one of us gets shot, you can heal us, Rob." She sighed, swiping a lock of hair out of her eyes. "So now what?"

"We have to find a way out of here ASAP." Ian looked around, his gaze resting on the trees. "Maybe the other witches know how."

Katie shook her head. "Perhaps we should find a place where we can think in peace. Without getting arrested or hurt."

"Well I would say that manor, but I doubt it is safe in this world," Ian muttered.

"We got caught there before, so the aliens probably won't be there. Can't say anything about our evil selves."

Rob raised an eyebrow. "The witches might have a hide-out."

"Hey, he's right." Katie gave a small smile and clapped him on the back. "What would we do without you? Ian, go ask them."

Ian turned to the witch they had talked to before. She and the others were tending to the wounded aliens, doing their best to help them. "Do you guys have a safe house? Somewhere we won't be disturbed?"

"Yes, we do. And I can hear more Tansarians coming, so we should leave quickly." She got up and spoke to her companions. "We've done what we can here. Now let's get back home." They then led the siblings and Rob through the woods and to a clearing where several cars were parked. They all got in and then drove off down a long dirt road.

---

About twenty minutes later they arrived at a large house in a remote neighborhood. There were two witches posted at each entrance and to get in you needed a key card and voice activation.

"Wow," Ian whispered as they went through the front door. "Pretty high security you have going here."

"Well we need it. Locks and bolts won't stop anyone these days."

"I can imagine," Katie commented, images of the technology the Tansarians possessed. "Ian," she started quietly, "we should talk in private. Try to find a way home."

"I'll show you to a room." One of the witches led them to a small bedroom. "Call if we may assist you."

Ian smiled his thanks. As soon as the witch left, Katie asked, "So what? You think we can just say a spell and get to our own reality?"

Ian shook his head. "I don't know..." He thought for a moment and then said, "Hey, maybe the technology in this reality can help us."

"Huh?"

"Well did you see all that high-tech stuff the Tansarians had? Maybe their technology combined with our magic can get us home."

"That might work," Rob said. "But how do we talk to them without them trying to kill us?"

"We have to find a place where we can talk peacefully with them," Ian said. "A neutral ground. Isn't there always one of those in a war?" Ian glanced at his sister, hoping she knew her history better than he did.

"Well, yeah, most of the time. But the question I want to know is how we're going to contact them to arrange the talks." Katie shrugged. "They obviously won't want to see us. And we need a set of rules for the conference."

"Well, yeah, most of the time. But the question I want to know is how we're going to contact them to arrange the talks." Katie shrugged. "They obviously won't want to see us. And we need a set of rules for the conference."

"I bet that since these witches having been working to make peace that they know a way," Ian said. "Maybe we should ask them."

"Be my guest."

Ian called for the witch who had brought them there and asked her.

"Yes, there is a place. We'll take you there."

---

About a half hour later Ian, Katie, Rob, and one of the witches entered a large conference room in a building on the edge of NYC. Twelve Tansarians sat at a half circle desk, and they all gasped as the four of them entered. "You bring the murderers that started this war here?! How dare you! Guards!"

"No!" Ian yelled, holding up his hands. "We aren't them. We are from an alternate reality. Now I know that sounds strange, but it's true."

"And why should we trust you?"

"You just have to," Katie said. "Look. All we want to do is get home. And we thought that maybe our magic combined with your great technology could send us back to our reality."

The center Tansarian glared at them. "Fools. We will not fall for your tricks. The war will be over anyway by midnight tonight."

The witch that was with Rob and the King siblings gasped. "Really? I hadn't heard that your leader and ours had made a treaty."

"They haven't. The war will be over because we are ending it. In just a short amount of time we will launch a missile that will destroy this entire planet. As we speak our forces are evacuating from this measly rock and going back to our ships above."

"You can't do that," Katie told them. "That would be mass murder, and nobody has a right. Hell, I bet most of the world is against this war just as much as you are!"

"We have no choice. It's either kill or be killed."

"Well we choose kill," came a voice.

Ian, Katie, and Rob spun around to see their doubles standing there. "No," Ian said. "We won't let you hurt them."

"You won't be able to stop us," Evil Katie said. She then held up her hand and fire shot from it and at Ian.

Katie swung her arm and the split off and hit a wall, harmlessly. "Wanna bet?" she said. The room then became a battle zone. Energy balls and fire flew, Katie deflecting as much of them as she could. More Tansarians rushed into the room to join the fight. Ian levitated to avoid attacks and give a few of his own with some sharp kicks. And Rob did his best to help out, healing any Tansarians that got hit.

Evil Rob noticed his double and smiled. "Time to die, Whitelighter," he said, holding up his crossbow.

Rob glanced up. "Wait! It might kill you as well."

"I don't believe you. And if this world is about to be destroyed, I don't think it matters." He then pulled the trigger on his crossbow and the arrow was let loose. It hit Rob in his upper arm and he fell back, crying out in pain.

Ian turned to see Rob fall. "No!" Ian shot out his hands and blew up Evil Rob's crossbow so he couldn't release anymore arrows; the blast also knocked the Darklighter to the floor. Ian then ran over to his Whitelighter and reached to pull the arrow out.

"Don't touch it!" Rob yelled out. "It's poisonous to you too."

"Then we'll have to find another way. Katie!" Ian yelled to his sister. "We have to get out of here!"

Katie ran over to the two men, kneeling down on the floor beside them. "The others—"

"We have to help him," Ian told her, staring hard.

She nodded, swallowing hard before orbing them out to the bedroom they were at before. "They'll be killed," she began angrily, "and it'll—"

"So will Rob!" Ian cut her off again. He helped the whitelighter up on the bed; Rob was already weakening. "Kate, use your power to get the arrow out."

Katie hesitated, but whipped her hand down. The arrow slid out of the flesh, yet the whitelighter gave a blood-chilling scream. "I'm sorry, Rob."

"So am I," he said softly, leaning back on the pillow again.

"No, Rob, you have nothing to be sorry for." Katie turned to her brother. "What do we do? We have to find some way to get home and save Rob."

Ian was now pacing back and forth across the room. "I don't know. We don't have time to work with the Tansarians to find a way back. Not like they would help us anyway since they have decided to blow up the planet. And we can't even stop that from happening." Ian glanced at Katie. "Unless you can orb us off the planet and up to the ship that will be shooting the missile."

Katie shook her head. "I don't think I'm that powerful yet. I can barely orb from town to town. Doubt I could orb us off the planet."

"Well then we just have to think of someway to get back home." Ian sighed. "I wish we had that mirror that brought us here. Maybe it could send us back."

"Wait, Ian, that's it! If there was a mirror in that reality that brought us here then there must be a mirror in this reality that can bring us back. Which means..."

"There must be one back at the manor of this reality! Kate, you're a genius!"

Katie grinned. "Took you this long to figure that out?"

Rob coughed. "Uh, guys, could we get this show on the road? There's not much time left for this planet... and myself."

Ian nodded. "Ok, let's get going. Hopefully our evil counterparts won't be there."

---

Blue and white orbs lit up the dark foyer of the manor. The house was silent. "Normally I would be happy coming home," Katie commented softly. "Right now, I'm not."

"Evil will do that to you." Ian pulled Rob's right arm over his shoulder; Katie did the same on the left, helping the whitelighter onto the couch.

She grabbed a blanket, draping it over Rob. "Hang tight. We'll find the mirror."

The two siblings walked back into the foyer to find their doubles standing near the staircase. "Looking for us?" Evil Katie asked.

"Not particularly," Katie replied. She looked past her double and into the dining room. On the table sat a handheld mirror, which looked exactly like the mirror she had bought at the garage sale. "Ian, I think that's it," she whispered to her brother. "But we have to get past them to get to it."

Ian just stared at his mirrored self. "Not a problem." He then ran forward and levitated into the air, shooting a kick into the faces of Evil Ian and Evil Rob. Both of them fell backwards and landed in a tangled heap on the stairs.

Katie started to orb out to get to the dining room, but Evil Katie tackled her, taking them both to the floor where they began to fight against one another to gain the upper hand. "Ian!" Katie yelled. "Get the mirror!"

The King male ran for the mirror as Katie blasted her evil self off of her with her telekinesis. Ian was just about to grab the mirror when he was hit in the shoulder with an energy ball, sending him crashing into one of the dining room chairs.

Katie began to orb once more, this time succeeding. As she reappeared next to her brother the grandfather clock in the living room began to chime. It was just about midnight. Katie picked up the mirror and took Ian's hand. "We have to get Rob. And how do we activate this thing?"

"I think it needs magic to activate it. My premonition did it last time. Maybe it can do it again." Ian took the mirror and his eyes flew shut. A second later he opened them and nodded. "Oh yeah, this is the mirror. I saw our world." The mirror suddenly rose up from Katie's hand and turned into a portal. "Come on, let's get Rob!" Ian yelled over the wind that suddenly began to howl. "It's now midnight and the missile is about to hit!"

They turned back towards the foyer and their three evil counterparts stood there. "This world is about to be destroyed," Evil Ian said. "And if anyone is going through that portal it is going to be us." The ground suddenly started to shake; the missile had hit Earth. "And it looks like we don't have much time."

The three of them started to move forward when blue lights suddenly formed behind them and Rob orbed in, tackling them to the ground. "Go!" he yelled. "Before this place is destroyed!"

"We can't leave you!" Katie cried.

"There's no time! I would die anyway from the poison!" Rob was struggling to hold down their evil selves. "Just go!"

Katie was about to protest some more when Ian grabbed her arm and pulled her through the portal. It closed behind them and the mirror began to fall to the floor. But it never reached it. The explosion from the missile had reached the manor and ripped through it, destroying everything.

---

"I can't believe we killed Rob," Katie muttered as she sat heavily on the couch of their own house. Everything was normal; there wasn't any alien spacecraft in the front yard. But it still felt odd.

Ian picked up the mirror off the floor and followed Katie into the living room. Looking into the mirror he saw nothing; no reflection. Just darkness. He sighed and sat down next to his sister. "We didn't kill him. He saved us. If he hadn't done what he had..." Ian shook his head, letting what he had said hang there.

"At least we wouldn't have his death on our conscious." She glared at him angrily. "I can't believe you did that."

"Did what?"

"Leave him there. We could've grabbed him or something!"

"There wasn't anytime! If we had stayed a second longer we would have been vaporized. And Rob would have did in vain." Ian stared down at the floor. "And you heard what he said. He would have died from the poison anyway." Tears began to sting his eyes and Ian covered his face. "There was nothing we could do."

"There's whitelighters all over, one of them could've come and healed him." Katie shook her head, standing up and walking to the window to look out. However, nothing focused to her eyes.

Ian slammed the mirror down on the table and stood up. "There was nothing we could do, alright?! I miss him too and I am sorry he died! But we can't change that. Even with all this magic that we have we can't change the fact that he is gone! All this magic is just... useless!" He shot his hands out and a potted plant on the other side of the room exploded. Ian then broke down, dropping back on to the couch, tears flowing freely.

The youngest stood stock still. She heard Ian's sobs, but didn't want to act on it. Suddenly, she felt anguish over the line connecting them.

_"Like a mild mind link. Whitelighters can sense each other and sense their charges. So you two can do that as well."_

Rob's words that he had spoken just hours before crossed her thoughts. For the past few weeks, the two siblings lost their ability to feel strong emotions from one another. Now it was back.

Katie went to the couch, sitting next to Ian again. Hesitantly she wrapped her arms around him. "I know," she murmured. "I miss him too."

Ian sighed an wiped his eyes, not wanting to cry any more. "So what happens now? Do we keep on fighting, get a new whitelighter? ...Where do we go from here?"

"I guess we have to keep fighting," Katie said with a sigh, leaning back to rest against the couch. "Can you imagine anything else?"

Ian gave a weak smile. "Not anymore." He pulled hi sister up from the couch and linked arms with her, walking out of the room and towards the stairs. "I guess we should try to get some sleep. It's late. And Rob wouldn't want us to be under rested."

Katie nodded. "Yeah. That would be him. Worrying about our well being over his."

"He was a great Whitelighter," Ian said.

"And a great friend." Ian smiled and they began to head up the stairs.

---

Down in the depths of the Underworld two figures stood in a large cavern. One of them was the Source. He waited patiently while his Seer came out of her vision. "Well," he asked, "What did you see?"

"I saw... someone new."

"For the side of good or for evil?"

The Seer smiled. "Oh, most definitely for the side of good. Which means bad news for you."

The Source thought of destroying the Seer right then and there for speaking that way, but decided against it. He needed her and he knew it. "Well who is it? Who's coming?"

"The King family that you have been having trouble with will be having a new addition to their family very soon."

"What? You mean a child is to be born?"

The Seer shook her head. "No, not a baby. A sister... A long lost sister who will complete their power."

"We can't let this happen. We must kill them all before they can unite."

"Well you better do it quickly. Because if my visions are correct... They could destroy us all...."


	25. Kathryn Hughes

**Basic Info:**

**Name –** Kathryn Hughes

**Sex –** Female

**Nicknames –** Kath, Kathy, Kat

**Age –** 22 (Beginning of season one)

**Date of Birth – **August 29, 1980

**Astrological Sign – **Virgo

**Personality –** Creative, sarcastic humor, fun, loving

**Appearance –** Long blonde, straight hair few inches below shoulders, 5'8" in height, brown eyes

**Likes – **Working, family and friends, singing, drawing

**Dislikes – **Mistakes, lies, losing

**Powers –** Healing, Telepathy, Astral Projections

**Favorites: **

**Favorite TV Show –** ER, most drama

**Favorite movie – **Something's Gotta Give

**Favorite book – **To Kill A Mockingbird

**Favorite fruit – **Peaches, strawberries

**Favorite food – **Italian, American, Chinese

**Favorite color – **Yellow

**Favorite type of music –** Rock, some rap, classical

**Favorite band(s) – **Trapt, Evanescence, Good Charlotte, Josh Groban, Yo-Yo Ma

**Favorite song(s) –** "Echo" & "Enigma" – Trapt; "Remember When It Rained" - Josh Groban; "My Bloody Valentine" - Good Charlotte; "Tango Sensations: Fear" - Yo-Yo Ma


	26. New Beginnings

This might be a little messed up. I have no idea how eariler before we finished season one when we started this... But yeah.  

Now to introduce our new character, friend, and fellow simmer (obviously), AK. Her screen name on here is TheMagicThatIsKath. All she writes by herself is Star Trek: Voyager, but she's good.

Hope you like. Honestly, this isn't the best (a year old, probably). But they DO get better. Promise. ;-)

* * *

Season two, Episode one (2.1): New Beginnings

Ring Ring! "Hello, Ian King's office."

"Ian, it's Katie. You sound so professional when you answer the phone like that."

Ian smiled. "Well I have to. I have my own column now. I have to be smart and mature."

"Well I just wanted to call you to say congrats again for your big promotion. A lot more money should be rolling in now."

"Well thank you Katie, but it isn't that much more than I was getting before when I was working with Allison." Ian sighed. He was still really depressed about his partner moving to Utah.

"Ian? You okay?" Katie asked.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine. But look, Katie, I have to get back to work."

"Alright, I'll see you at home. Bye."

"Bye." Ian hung up the and then picked up a picture of Allison. "Hope you're having fun in Utah, Allison."

---

In the deepness of the Underworld, The Source held a meeting with a powerful demon. "I have already dispatched a demon to kill the Kings.... but he will most likely fail. That is why I have selected you, Litvar. You are a powerful demon. The witches should be no match for you."

"There are only two, right?"

The Source shifted. "At the moment, yes. But another will join them soon. That is why you must kill them all now. If these three unite.... their power will grow very strong. Defeat them before they can claim The Power Of Three."

Litvar bowed. "Yes, my lord."

---

"I'm heading out. I am going to go to the store on the way home. Do you want to come with?" Kathy Hughes, fashion designer, stood in front of her friend Tobias's desk. Kathy had been a witch all her life, yet she rarely practiced her powers. She wanted to have a normal life and stayed as close to having one as best as she could. But that did not include Tobias. He was also a witch, and her good friend. They worked at the office together and had helped each other out on numerous occasions when it came to the supernatural.

"Nah, I have some more work to do."

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow then." Kathy grabbed her purse and walked out of the office.

---

Ian was walking out to his car in the parking garage when an energy ball suddenly flew right in front of him. Ian turned to the attacker. It was an average sized demon. He had on a leather jacket, jeans, and dark sunglasses. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"I am Max. And the Source wants you dead.... so that's what I want too." He conjured another energy ball and threw it at Ian. Leaping out of the way, Ian took cover behind a large pillar of the parking garage. "You can't use your powers here. Don't want to expose yourself to the public."

"I won't need my powers to stop you!" Ian called. He then jumped out and ran at the demon. Swinging his arm he hit Max across the face. Wasting no time, he spun around and hit him again, knocking Max to the cement. Ian bent down and grabbed Max by the shirt, pulling him up. "See?"

Max smiled and then shimmered out of Ian's grasp. He reappeared a second later a few feet away. "You cannot destroy what you cannot catch!" Max then turned and ran out of the parking garage.

Ian swore to himself and then ran after the demon. Taking out his cell phone he dialed Kate's cell. "Hello?"

"Katie, it's Ian. A demon attacked me in the parking garage of my office building. Now he is running. I can't let him get away. I think he is heading for the alley on 6th avenue. Meet me there!" Ian hung up before he got an answer and continued to chase the demon. Max ran into the alley and stopped when he got to the dead end. Ian came in after him. "No place to go now. Unless you are a chicken and are going to shimmer out."

"I am no chicken!" Max ran at Ian and punched him in the face. Ian fell to the ground on his back. Max began to create an energy ball just as Katie orbed in.

Katie swung her arm quickly before the demon could conjure the energy ball fully. He flew into a wall and collapsed. "A little help would be nice," she said to Ian. Ian got up from the ground.

"Yeah yeah......" Ian rubbed his jaw and then put up his hands to destroy the demon. But the enemy was too quick. He threw an energy ball into Ian's chest. Ian flew back and land on the ground, hard. His head snapped back and hit the hard cement. He was out cold and blood was starting to trickle from his head.

"Oh God." Katie threw up her hands and froze the demon quickly, hoping for the freeze to last long enough. She ran over and knelt next to Ian. "Ian, wake up," she said, slightly shaking him.

---

Kathy was standing on the curb waiting for a cab. Suddenly she sensed an odd feeling and heard someone scream. She set down her bags and ran over to where it was. After a quick glance at the scene, Kath knew what she had to do. Running over to the guy on the ground, she placed a hand on where it seemed the blood was coming the most.

Katie looked up when she saw a hand heal Ian's wound. "Who are you?" she asked the woman.

"I'm... I'm... Kathy..." she mumbled out. Kath stood up slowly, looking at the guy, and began to realize what she had done. She edged backwards, away from the two people. "I've got to go..." Even though she'd done what was right, she didn't exactly know who these people were.

"Wait. We're witches too." Just then the demon unfroze. "Crap!"

Ian groaned and sat up. "What happened? Who is that running away? And why is that demon not frozen?!"

"Later!" Katie yelled. She flung the demon backwards once again.

Kath froze and stood where she had stopped, knowing that she couldn't help against a demon during the fight, only the after effects of it.

Ian got up. "Okay. Go... talk to whoever that is, and I will vanquish the demon." Ian breathed in as Katie ran off towards Kathy and then spoke, "Evil demon you have caused enough strife, with this spell I end your life!" The demon screamed out in pain and exploded. "Well. All done."

"Thanks for helping us," Katie said to Kathy.

"No problem," Kath said, looking over the girl's shoulder as the guy vanquished the demon. "Nice job."

Ian walked up to Kathy. "Thank you. And thank you for healing me. I would have been dead." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Ian."

"Oh.... yeah. My name's Katie." She grinned and also stuck out her hand.

"Kath. Kathy Hughes." Kath shook the girl's hand first, seeing she was a little over anxious and stuck it past the guy's. Then she shook the guy's, and read a tiny piece of his mind. There was an odd feeling about the two that she felt.

Ian took in a quick breath of air as his vision started. He saw flashes of his parents with a baby... they were driving in a car.... a demon appeared.... he made the car spin out of control with his powers. He saw his parents slam through the wind shield, they were dead, the baby is still in the car seat in the back. The demon disappears...... another flash, someone.... sees the car..... the two people dead..... and then she takes the baby. The vision ends. Yet all that took a millisecond. From the force of the premonition Ian fell back to the ground. "Oh my god......" he said.

Katie quickly knelt next to Ian. "You alright?" she asked worriedly Ian just stared at Kathy.

Kath squinted at Ian who seemed disturbed over something. She tried to grasp at his thoughts, but he seemed to be confused and his thoughts were scattered about throughout his head.

"You...... you... you were with our parents when they died." Katie stared at Ian for a minute, then looked at Kathy, not knowing what to say.

Kath was just as confused. "What...?"

"I had a vision of the past. You were the baby........ I remember now. Mom had been pregnant. They went to the hospital..... and then... died. I had forgotten. You...... you are our sister!"

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Katie said. She stood up and paced. "People don't meet their family on the street like this!"

"Wait, wait. I think you're a little confused. I'm an only child.... I don't have any brothers or sisters."

"But it all makes sense now." Ian stood up. "Katie, remember the Book talking about a third person?"

"Yeah... But..." Katie lowered her voice, "Her?"

"Well..... what did it say the third child's powers were?"

"Uh, Astral Projection, Telepathy, and Healing. But we've only seen her do one of these powers. A lot of witches probably have the ability to heal."

"Kathy? Your powers?"

Kath silently winced inside. She nodded, "That's them alright." She tried to think back, but it all seemed to explain a lot.

"And I had that vision..... why else would I have had it? And did you see the force it had?"

"Alright, alright!" Katie threw up her hands, causing a cardboard box to fly up in the air and fall back down with a dull thud. "Ugh.... Anyway." She walked back to stand in front of Kathy. "Welcome to the family, I guess."

Ian looked at Katie. She didn't seem to happy about all this. "Well..... I have an idea. Let's test this out. Kathy.... do you trust us?"

"Well, to an extent. You have to admit this IS a little strange."

Katie muttered something under her breath and sat down against the wall, near Kathy, but not really close.

"Yep.... I understand. But I think I know a way to sort this out."

"Which is what, genius boy?" Katie asked in annoyance.

Ian glared at Katie. "We go home.... and summon Mom and Dad. Their spirits at least."

Katie got up slowly. "Alright... C'mon." She led the way deeper into the alley. "We're orbing," she told Kathy. Kath nodded and followed her down the alley. Ian followed behind the two, deeper into the alley. Katie grabbed Ian's and Kathy's shoulders and orbed them to the manor. "Welcome to our house," she said blandly while walking towards the stairs, throwing her jacket onto the couch.

"Okay.... I will go get the Book." Ian started up the stairs behind his sister. Kath looked around the house and oddly enough felt a little at home.

"Uh huh..." Katie muttered as they walked upstairs.

"And... Umm... I'll follow..." Kathy followed behind the two.

"So, what ya think?" Katie asked Kath.

"It's nice..." she said, a little mesmerized by the homely effect.

Ian led them all to the attic and grabbed the Book of Shadows. "Okay. Stand back everyone..." Katie stopped in the doorway, not sure what Ian was up to. Ian cleared his throat. "Hear these words, hear my cry, Spirits from the other side, come to me, I summon thee, cross now the great divide." There was the spinning of lights in the center of the room and then two ghostly figures appeared. "Oh my god....." Ian said. It had worked.

His parents stood in front of him. Katie drew a sharp intake of breath and slowly walked over to stand next to Ian. "... Mom? Dad?" Kath took a step back into the hallway past Katie as her chest tightened.

Ian had seen photos of his parents, and slightly remembered them from his childhood. He had been three when they had died. His parents smiled at him and Katie. "Yes," his mom said, "it's us."

"I... uh... Well..." Katie was speechless again. Kath looked down the hallway and was considering running out, but her legs wouldn't move.

Ian wiped a tear that had started down his face. "Okay..... well... hi!" He laughed a little..... "Um..... well. We need to ask you something."

His father smiled. "And we already have the answer. It's yes. We did have another child. And that child is Kathy."

Kath's stomach fell to her feet. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She tried to see if these spirits actually had thoughts, but evidentially didn't. She cursed herself inside and tried to figure out all the details on her own.

"Um... I'll... go get her..." Katie walked quickly out of the attic to the hallway. "C'mon."

"So I was right..... she is our sister," Ian said.

"Yes," said Ian's mother. "She is your sister, three years younger. And she is destined to be with you two."

"Whoa, wait." Katie stuck her head back into the room; she had found her voice. "What do you mean, destined?"

"Even though that nice family adopted her after they found her in the car, she was meant to one day return to this family. To complete this line of this generation of Kings."

"So you're telling me that no matter what, she would have come here sometime in our lives?"

"Yes," said their father. "No matter what."

Kath had edged her way back in the room, but hadn't looked up yet. She was speechless and confused, and the sudden feeling to return back to her life was strong.

"Okay," Ian said. "What do we do now?"

The parents looked at each other and then back at Ian. "Work together.... fight for the side of good..... and most importantly, love each other. We must go now. We love you...." The two then faded away.

"... Dammit. How can they just leave like that?" Katie sat down heavily on the attic's worn out couch.

"It's okay.... at least we know we can talk to them sometimes." He turned to Kathy. "And we also now know the truth." Kath looked up from the floor at Ian and nodded.

Katie shook her head. "This day is turning out to be the weirdest one ever," she muttered under her breath to herself. Ian glanced at Kate, and then looked at Kathy.

"So...." He held out his hand to her. "Do you trust us?"

"Well obviously now I do." She blurted out. Kath took his hand and smiled.

Ian smiled back. "Come here Katie..." Katie rolled her eyes. She stood up and walked to stand next to Ian. Ian took Katie's hand and the light above them shook and glowed. A blue light washed over them.

"The Power of Three...." a voice whispered. And then they broke hands and it ended.

"Okay, what was that freaky voice?" Katie asked quickly.

Kath looked around the room. "I'm not sure...."

"It sounded like Mom's to me..... The Power of Three. Sounds tough..... has a nice ring to it." Ian chuckled.

Katie shrugged and sighed. "So, now what?"

There was a crash from down stairs. "We go see what that was!" Ian yelled. He ran out of the attic and headed down the staircase. Kath shook her head and followed Ian downstairs.

Katie quickly orbed down to the foot of the stairs and looked around the living room. A vase was on the floor, broken. She looked up. A demon was right there in front of her.

Ian got to the bottom steps. "Katie watch out!" The demon that stood there swung his hand out and Katie flew back into Ian, knocking them both over onto the stairs.

"Ouch..." Katie moaned. She rolled off of Ian and onto the floor. She used her power against the demon, but he only stumbled back a little.

Ian got up and helped Katie to her feet. He then threw out his hands at the demon. There was a small spark and the demon barely flinched.

"Hahahaha! You see..... I am too powerful for your weak powers."

"Oh yeah?" Ian tried again. There was a bigger spark..... but the demon barely reacted.

The demon smiled. "My turn," he said. He swung his arm and Ian crashed back into the banister, splintering it.

"Dammit. Kathy, heal him if he's hurt!" Katie swung her arm more sharply than last time and the demon was pushed back with a bit more force.

Kath shook her head as she had dazed out. "Oh, right," she said, walking up to Ian, placing hands on him. It took a second, but he finally reacted and sat up.

"Fine," the demon said. "Keep moving me back with your little powers. I don't mind. I am having fun!" He then threw both hands at Katie who then flew out of the room and landed on a table, smashing it.

"Katie!" Ian yelled. Katie had fallen hard onto the table, which had caused her to get

knocked out. Kathy ran over to the table. She was dying to help in some way. Placing her hands on Katie, she closed her eyes, healing her.

Katie moaned. "Ow... My head hurts…" she complained, her mind a little fuzzy.

Ian got up and glared in rage at the powerful demon. "Evil force that I see here, die now so we may....... cheer!" Nothing happened.

Katie sat up. "Nice spell," she commented quietly.

Kathy held back a chuckle within and whispered aloud, "Cheer?"

"Think you can do better? But why didn't it work?"

"I told you! You alone are not strong enough!" The demon laughed again.

Katie whispered to Kathy, "Tell Ian I'm going up to check the Book Of Shadows." Kathy gave her a quizzical look. "Our book of spells." With that, she orbed up to the attic and started to flip through the Book.

Kathy looked across the room at Ian who had a confused look on his face. She heard him clearly for the first time in her mind. Kathy then sent a message to him through telepathy. She's going to check the Book of Shadows. We've got to distract him.

Ian nodded slightly as he heard the voice in his head. He then walked up to the demon. "Who are you?"

"My name is Litvar. And you are Ian King.... I don't know why so many demons fear you. You are weak."

Ian laughed. "Ya think?" Ian swung his arm a hit Litvar across the face. He stumbled a little and grunted. Ian smiled and shot his hand out into Litvar's neck, making him gasp. Spinning around Ian kicked out, hitting the demon in the chest and knocking him into a large cabinet. "Not so weak, am I?" Litvar glared and then used his power, sending Ian to the floor.

Kathy hesitated. She'd only astral projected twice in her life, and then it was an accident. She focused as much as could on it and suddenly the most unexplainatory thing happened and she was behind the demon. She grabbed a vase off a nearby end table and slammed it over Litvar's head.

Ian stood up and turned to look behind him. Kathy was still there... but unmoving. And Kathy was also behind the demon. She had astral projected! "Great job, Kath!"

''Thanks!'' she said with a quick smile. Suddenly the demon saw her unmoving body and advanced to it. Kath held her breathe and the odd feeling overwhelmed her and she was back in her body. And not a moment too soon. She jumped out of the way as Litvar lunged at her. He fell to the floor, but this would not stop him.

"Katie!" Ian called. "Hurry up!"

---

Katie was flipping through the Book quickly. A light breeze came in and the Book went to a page where there was a picture of Litvar on it. She skimmed the page to the vanquishing spell. "A Power Of Three spell... Weird. Three witches must say this spell to have full effect," she read. She copied the spell onto a piece of paper and orbed back downstairs. "We have to say this spell together," she told Ian and Kathy.

Kath ran over to Katie. "Well we better hurry. I can't take much more of this!"

Katie raised an eyebrow. "You think this is bad?"

Ian turned to Katie. "What spell?" Katie held it out and Ian took it. "Alright."

Litvar stood up. "You cannot stop me!"

Ian smiled. "Oh yeah?" The three then began reading. "Evil demon sent from hell, hear the words of this spell. It shall spear you like a knife, and with The Power Of Three, end your life!" Litvar was engulfed in fire as he screamed in pain. Then he was gone. Ian turned to Katie. "Where did you get this?"

Katie shrugged. "The Book turned to a page with Litvar on it. The vanquishing spell said we needed The Power Of Three to use it."

"Wow.... well now we see the power we have together."

Kathy nodded. "Well. Now what?"

Katie looked at the mess they had made while fighting. "Clean."

"You know Kate.... ever since you moved in I have done more cleaning than I have in my entire life." Ian smiled at her.

"We have also fought more than we ever have," she replied, walking over and starting to pick up pieces of the vase Kathy had broken.

"Well duh." Ian grabbed a broom from a closet and started to sweep up some debris. "Hey Kathy...... where do you live?"

"Uh, nowhere special, just a broken down place. Two bedroom apartment just down the road from where we met," Kath said as she straightened the end table where the vase was.

"Well....." Ian looked at Katie. "Maybe you could live here. We are siblings ya know. And I know we just found this all out, but it would be better for you to be here."

"Well...." she looked up as though she was actually thinking. "OKAY!" she blurted out with a slight chuckle. "Although I need to get my things as soon as possible. My cat's probably hungry too."

"You have a cat?" Katie looked at Ian. "She has a cat."

Kath raised a confused eyebrow. "Erm.. is that bad?"

"I dunno." Ian glanced at Kate. "Is it?" Katie shook her head.

"No, it ain't bad."

"Alright! It's settled. You can have the room next to Kate's. Katie! Help her get her stuff over here in that magical way that you can." Ian smiled. "BUT..... do it tomorrow."

"Well... can you get my cat right now?"

Katie flapped her hand at the question. "No sweat." She orbed out.

"Does she even know where she is going?"

"I hope so...."

Katie orbed back in a few seconds later. "Uh... Where is your apartment?"

---

Later that night at King's Corner, Ian and Katie, and now their new found sister, Kathy, at in a booth in the corner. Ian had booked Celine Dion. She was playing her new hit, A New Day Has Come. Ian turned to his sisters. "Think that this is coincidence?"

Kath smirked. Nothing's coincidence, she said to both of them through telepathy.

Katie jumped at the sudden voice in her head and glared at Kathy. "Don't do that!"

Kath stuck her tongue out. "You're just jealous," she said laughing.

Ian smiled. "And I thought Katie would be a handful....."

Katie hit Ian lightly on the arm. "I resent that."

"Too bad!" Ian hit her back.

"Ahh.... being an only child now wasn't so bad"

Ian turned and glared at Kathy. "...I think you are the evil kid of the bunch." He then cracked up, not being able to keep a straight face.

Katie grinned. "And you are the weirdest."

Ian made a small bow. "Thank you, thank you." Kath rolled her eyes and sighed as she sipped her drink.

"Something wrong, Kath?" Katie asked.

"No, it's just a little odd how today's events occurred. Now THAT was no coincidence."

Ian looked at Kathy. "No... it wasn't. But ya know..... I think with all the demons and warlocks, and The Source trying to kill us too..... what was my point?" He laughed a little. "Oh yeah. Even with all that... I think you are gonna like it here."

"Either that or find us very weird and annoying," Katie added.

"I forgot about that part.... well in that case you will hate this new life."

Kath laughed. "I guess I'm doomed then." she said with a cheeky, teasing grin.

"Be afraid, be very afraid." Katie grinned as she reached over to pick up her glass and take a sip.

They all laughed again and then turned to listen to Celine Dion sing. "A new day has.... Come! Oooooh! A new day...... has come......"


	27. Flashbacks

**A/N: Hi again. Here's another episode. I think AK wrote this, but who knows anymore. Half this season was written by one person... coughiancough**

* * *

**Episode 2.2: Flashbacks**

"Ugh, Kathy, how much stuff do you have?!" Katie complained as she hoisted another box up into her arms, and started walking back to the manor. They were outside helping Kath unpack and movie into the manor so the new Power of Three would be complete. Ian picked up a large box marked 'Fragile.'

"Well, I better be careful with this one." He began to walk up the steps, but then his shoe got caught and he tripped. The box went flying out of his hands and flew through the air. "Oh no, Katie! Freeze it, quick!" Katie gasped in surprise as the box began to fall. Quickly she dropped the box she was holding, thankful that it was clothes, and froze the box Ian had before it hit the ground.

"Damn Ian... You must've jinxed yourself." Kath shook her head at Ian as she carried two boxes stacked on one another.

"You okay?" she asked, setting them on the ground and walking over to him.

"Perfectly fine," Ian said, slight rudeness in his voice. He got up, grabbed the suspended box, and headed into the manor. Katie went after her brother and followed him upstairs to Kathy's new room which had been a guest room before.

"That wasn't very nice."

"I said I was fine. What else does she want?" Ian set the box down on the bed and sighed. "You know, we don't even know where she came from. She just popped up outta no where and completed our power. Now I know that we are meant to be together, but still. I want to know about her life. Who her parents are, where she works, all that. Don't you?"

"Well... But she can tell us all this in her own time. We have to let her adjust first." Katie put the box she was holding in the closet and turned back to Ian. "She'll probably tell us sooner or later."

"Well... why not just find out today? You know I saw this truth spell in the Book of Shadows before. We could use that."

"Use a truth spell on our sister? Are you on drugs?"

"No! I would never be on drugs. But then that way it would go much faster." Beep beep! Ian picked up his phone. "Oh it's my boss. I have to take this." Ian answered the phone. "Hi Derek. Yeah I know...." Ian walked out of the room and into his, closing the door.

"Ebony!" Kath called from downstairs. The black cat ran past Kath's doorway in the hall, making Katie turn to see it. "There's a good girl, here's your fishy treat." Ian came out of his room. He had his jacket on and was still on the phone.

"I have to go to work," he mouthed to Katie. Ian went down into the foyer and passed Kathy quickly. "See ya later, Kathryn," he said gruffly. Katie walked downstairs right after him.

"What's his problem?" Kathy asked, picking up her cat and petting her. Katie shrugged. "Right… well, wanna order a pizza or something? I'm starved. All that box carrying gave me an appetite."

"Sure, why not?" Katie grabbed the phone that was on the stand near the stairs and dialed Dominos.

---

Ian closed the door behind him on his way out and got into his car. "Yep, don't worry Derek. I will be there in a little bit. Ok, bye." Ian hung up the phone and took his keys out of his pocket. He started the car and then sped off down the road.

A bird flew to the ground from a tree. The bird began to grow and transform. A second later it had become a man. A warlock actually, named Balor. He had recently killed a witch and had stolen her power to transform into animals. Balor watched Ian's car disappear down the road and then he turned to the manor.

"I sense great power coming from this house. It will soon be mine."

---

Kath took a bite of pizza as the two of them sat at the kitchen table, silent. She felt an odd presence outside the window and looked outside.

"What is it?" Katie asked, taking a sip of her soda.

"I dunno. Nothing I guess," Kath said.

"Oh. Well then…" Katie said. It was quite an awkward moment. Two perfect strangers eating lunch together.

"Yep," said Kath after a minute of more quiet.

Katie shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She meant to say something different, but apparently her mouth had another idea. "Tell me about your life." Then she groaned. "That wasn't supposed to come out like that... Sorry."

"It's okay," Kath said, sitting up. "See… my childhood was quite a bumpy road of life, one that I'm glad is over. I could hear things; things that people couldn't usually hear. Or feel odd disturbances that no one else felt. I told my parents that I was hearing things and they sent me to some psychiatrist. He put me on every legal medication for insanity. Even spent some time in the hospital before I just lied and told everyone the voices had gone away."

**-Flashback- **

"I told you, I'm fine!" Kathy whined.

"Are you sure, Kathryn? No more voices?" her father asked.

"Yes, just take me home already."

"Of course, darling. Doctor Bernard is just finishing up some paper work and then we'll be able to leave." Kathy nodded.

**-Present time- **

"Telepathy. Strange thing as a kid, but I eventually controlled it enough to where I could convince myself that I wasn't insane. Now when I first Astral Projected…" Kath let out a laugh. "Now that's where it got freaky. Seeing your own body on the floor, motionless for the first time. Well it'll do more than scare you. I've only done it twice before last week when we fought the demon, and I don't like it much. But it was what proved to my parents that I was different," Kath said.

**-Flashback- **

"Go to your room, young lady!" Kathy's mom said.

"But I didn't mean to! It was an accident." Kath looked at the broken china plate on the floor.

"You know better, Kathy! I told you a million times that the china cabinet is not a place for you to climb on."

"I just wanted to see the pretty plates! That's all!"

"Go now, before I tell your father." Kathy groaned loudly and suddenly fell to the floor, and appeared across the room on the other side of the sofa. Her mother screamed and then Kathy disappeared and stood up from the ground where her real body lay.

"What happened?" Kath asked.

"Nothing. I was just seeing things. Now to your room." Kath looked at the sofa funny.

"Was I just over the—"

"Room now, little missy!" her mother said, picking up the pieces now.

**-Present time- **

"My mother will deny to this day that I did anything. But the day my father believed was quite a dose of reality," Kath said, taking a sip of her drink.

**-Flashback- **

"I'm just telling you that I'm different!" Kath said as they were fishing on a dock, her feet dangling over the water.

"Shhh! The fish!" her father whispered. Kath sighed. Her father lifted his pole and found his bait was gone.

"Dang. Worms?" he asked. Kath picked up the Styrofoam cup of worms and dirt and passed it to her father. "Gah!" he yelled.

"What is it?" Kath asked hurriedly.

"Pricked my finger baiting the hook. It's pretty stuck-URG!" he yelled, pulling it out. Blood began to stream from his finger. Kath grabbed his finger and inspected it.

"It'll be fine, it'll stop soon," he mumbled.

"Lemme see it…" She examined it closely and suddenly gold light came streaming from her fingers and the blood and wound disappeared. Her father gasped.

**-Present time- **

"Yep," said Kath as she looked at Katie's astonished face. "That was when I learned I had the power to heal as well."

"He found out?" Katie still asked.

"Well he could of sworn to anyone that nothing happened, but it was our little secret." Kathy smiled at her new sister and received one back.

---

Ian opened the door to The Central's break room and waved to everyone. "Hey guys, sorry that I am kinda late today. I was helping my sister Kathy move her stuff into the manor." Roger, The Central's food critic, raised an eyebrow.

"I thought that Katie was your only sister." Ian shrugged off his jacket and gave a fake smile.

"Yeah well... long story short? She used to live in Kentucky and we didn't communicate much. But we have moved past our differences and now she has moved here."

"So you have two sisters in one house. That must be stressing."

"Well yeah, but it is a big house. And they are my sisters. Gotta love them." Roger laughed and then turned back to the book he was reading. Ian moved over to the coffeepot and grabbed the handle. Instantly he was hit with a premonition: Derek came into the break room and went for the coffee pot. He filled his mug and then when he stepped back he slammed into an intern and spilled boiling hot coffee on his hand.

Ian came out of the vision caught his breath. He glanced at the door as it started to open. Moving quickly, Ian poured the coffee down the sink and placed it back on the hotplate. Derek shut the door behind him and came over to Ian.

"You wanna hand me the pot?"

"Oh, sorry. But we are all out. Maybe you can just go with water." Ian then grabbed his jacket off the chair he had hung it on and made his way out of the room.

---

"So you lived in Hawaii?" Kath asked as she hung up some clothes in her closet.

"For about two months. Then I came back here," Katie said, handing her another hanger. Ebony pranced in lightly and leapt onto Kathy's bed to where Katie was sitting next to a pile of clothes hangers. "We've never really had an animal in the house before," Katie said, petting the cat behind the ears. Ebony curled up close to Kate.

"I hate cats usually.. but I couldn't just turn her out, she was a gift from my mom." Kathy paused from hanging. "Well... my so-called mom," she muttered.

"To be fair, she was your mom. She raised you and taught you everything from walking to driving. Am I right?" Katie asked. Kath nodded, and took another hanger from her.

"It's just weird to think that she isn't my mom... my whole life I thought she was... and now it's like she's a total stranger to me," Kathy said.

"She never told you that you were adopted?" Katie asked as she stopped petting Ebony.

"It never came up. I just never considered it," Kathy said, hanging the skirt up slowly. Katie rubbed her own arm in awkwardness.

"Why don't you call her?" Katie asked, trying to brighten the situation. "I'm sure she'd love to hear from you, and maybe you could bring it up subtly."

"I guess so," Kath sighed. Kate tossed her the final hanger and Kathy hung up the last shirt. "Maybe I could invite her over for dinner?"

"Uh... well.. without Ian and me, right?" Katie asked, hesitantly.

"Why wouldn't you be here?" Kathy asked, frowning as she sat down on the bed next to Katie. Ebony crept into Kathy's lap and Kath absentmindedly petted her in habit.

"Well... I just think that when discussing your whole family situation, that magic shouldn't be involved."

"But they know I have powers... well.. kind of," Kath said. "I guess it would be a little weird. 'Hi mom and dad. These are my real family. You are some fake weirdos. Eat up!'" Kath said, shaking her head. With a sigh, she stood up. "I'll go out with them tonight. Get some things straightened out."

---

"I'm home!" Ian called, walking into the manner.

"Kitchen!" Katie called. Ian walked down the hallway and entered the kitchen.

"Where's Kathy?" Ian asked, looking about the room with confusion.

"She went out with her parents for dinner," Katie said, standing impatiently in front of the microwave as the pizza from earlier cooked.

"Good," Ian mumbled, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"What is it with you?" Katie asked, taking out the pizza and sitting down across from him.

"I just... I don't know. I'm just not used to her yet, and I still don't trust her."

"Has she done anything to make you not trust her?" Katie asked. Ian shook his head. "Exactly. Besides, this is a bigger leap of faith on her part."

"How so?" Ian asked.

"Well we have each other. She just has herself. She's the one moving in with perfect strangers and basically exposing her magic to what she hopes is the good guys," Katie said. Ian paused, taking this all in.

---

Upstairs at that very moment, Ebony lay on Kathy's bed, curled up asleep in a little black ball. A bird outside Kathy's window flew up in the a nearby tree, carrying what looked to be a sack much larger than it. The bird began to transform into Balor, and he opened the unlocked window. Ebony popped her head up at the sudden sound, and saw him.

"Good kitty, kitty," Balor whispered. Ebony stood up and hissed, the hair on her back standing on end. "Come on kitty, there's no need to fear me," Balor continued to say quietly while pulling out a vile of white potion from the sack. "I have some milk for you.. here," Balor said, pouring it into his hand. Ebony paused from her hissing, and curiously stared at the potion in his hand. She walked over and began to tenderly lap up the milk-look-alike, and suddenly fell swiftly on the bed. With a dry smile of a mission accomplished, Balor stuck the cat in the bag. "Now to get rid of you," he said.

---

"So how's work?" Kathy's father asked over dinner.

"Fine, nothing really new," Kathy said, putting on a fake grin while poking at her salad. It got quiet for a moment and Kathy took a deep breath. "I moved today," she said, nonchalantly, taking a bite of salad.

"What? Where to?" Kathy's mother asked.

"I found out something about these two people that I think you should know about," Kathy said, her courage sinking as she realized she had to let them know that she knew she wasn't their true daughter. "I found my brother and sister." The table grew utterly silent, and for a moment Kathy thought she had gone deaf. They didn't move. "I.. I'm living with them."

"How did you find out?" Kathy's mother asked quietly.

"That's not important, the fact is that I know you aren't my blood relatives, that I was adopted."

"We're so sorry, we just—"

"I don't blame you," Kathy blurted out. "I'm glad I didn't know. I.. I don't know how I would have reacted, and to be honest it really doesn't matter. You're still my parents to me."

"We just wanted you raised in a home where you felt you were accepted," Kathy's father said.

"Well I did, and I love you both for it. I just felt you should know that I know I came from a different family," Kathy said. The Hughes nodded silently, obviously losing their appetite. Kathy's mother set her napkin on the table and excused herself. Kathy sat awkwardly, regretting ever thinking of bringing it up.

"Go talk with her," Kathy's father said, making her look up at him. "I knew this day would one day come." He sighed. "I don't think she ever did." Kathy nodded and excused herself, making her way to the ladies room. There was only one occupied stall, and Kathy  
could hear quiet sobs.

"Mom," Kathy said softly.

"Don't call me that," she said, sniffling.

"I wouldn't call any other woman that," Kathy said, leaning against the wall next to the stall. "Because you are my mother, and it doesn't matter to me that someone else gave birth to me. It's the fact that you took me into your home and raised me. You're the reason I'm the person I am today, and if someone else had raised me, who knows what I'd be. Your love has taught me to love others, and will one day show me how to love my own daughter." The sobs stopped and the stall creaked open. There was a quiet moment as they looked at each other, and then Kathy stepped forward, giving her mom a tight hug.

---

Ian and Katie were unpacking some of Kathy's stuff in her room when Ian paused, pulling out a photo album. "I don't think she'd mind if we looked at some of the pictures," Ian said, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

"I dunno..." Katie said hesitantly.

"I just want to get a glimpse at her life. Maybe I'll get a premonition." Ian said. Reluctantly, Katie sat down next to him as he opened the book. Ian dusted of the light layer of dust that covered the page and revealed a little baby in a crib. As he turned through the album, there were various pictures of Kathy growing up: swimming, riding a bike, and such.

Ian and Katie both jumped as the door creaked opened, and Ian quickly shut the book. Softly, Ebony walked in, and leapt onto the bed, snuggling into Ian. Both siblings sighed in relief, and opened the book again.

"Getting anything?" Katie asked, looking up from the book at Ian.

"Nothing," Ian said, slightly frustrated. He turned the page, and Kathy was standing in what looked to be a new tree house. He felt the picture, and FLASH. Kathy was walking along the tree house, admiring it. She walked onto the small deck and grabbed the rope to slide down, and it fell. Kathy fell to the grown, and began crying. "Whoa," Ian said, shaking his head.

"What?" Katie asked.

"She fell from the tree house, the rope broke," Ian said, pointing at the rope in the picture. Ian turned the page and there was a picture of Kathy with a pink cast on her arm, several signatures on it. Ian laughed lightly. "Saw that coming," he mumbled. The door downstairs closed and Ian shut the book, setting it back into the box. Ebony scampered off downstairs.

"Hey guys, I'm.. home," Kathy said, though it sounded odd. Home. After she hung up her coat, she turned around to see Ebony on the bottom step. "Hey kitty," she said, walking over to pet her. In a quick metamorphosis, there was a demon, and before Kath could say anything, he launched an energy ball, throwing her against the front door.  
At the sound, Katie and Ian instinctively ran down the stairs to see Balor, and Kathy in a heap.

"Kathy!" Ian yelled, levitating down the stairs and landing a perfect kick to Balor's face, as he had turned at the sound of someone else in the room. Ian ran to Kathy's side. Katie used her telekinesis and flung Balor across the room, freezing him as soon as he landed.

"She's just unconscious," Ian said as Katie rushed over to them. Ian stood up and glared at the frozen figure. Not blinking, he walked over to Balor as he unfroze. Ian picked up Balor by the throat and pushed him firmly against the wall. "Who are you?" Balor smiled thinly.

"I am Balor," he whispered hoarsely. Suddenly he transformed into a snake, slipping right through Ian's hand and coiling up on the floor below. Ian leapt back as the snake made an attempt to bite him.

"Just blow him up, Ian," Katie said. Ian nodded, and flung his hands out toward the snake. In an instant, the snake was a bird, and flew on top of the grandfather clock. Ian's burst left a scorch mark on the floor.

"Freeze him!" Ian said. Katie stood up and froze the room. The bird, who had tried to fly again, stopped mid-air. The clock stopped ticking. Ian flung his hands out once again, and the bird poofed into a million tiny feathers, a tiny cry echoing the house.

---

"She's waking up, Ian, come here!"

Kathy shook her head, and opened her eyes. She was in the living room, tucked snuggly into the couch with a blanket. A coolness ran over her as she felt her head, and her hand touched an ice pack.

"You gave a scare there, little sis," Ian said, entering her view.

"Wha.. what happened? Where's Ebony?" Kathy said sitting up, though she quickly laid back down at the dizziness.

"It seems that a demon had transformed into Ebony and tried to kill you," Katie said. "Since you're the newest link to the King family, and the last member to the Power of Three, it seems that you are the newest target."

"And no offense, but you really haven't been using your powers a lot, so you are still kind of ... fresh, if you know what I mean," Ian said.

"So where is the real Ebony?" Kathy asked.

"Well... we haven't seen her," Katie said, frowning and turning to look at Ian. "Have we?"

"We don't know how long Balor was in the form of Ebony, so technically speaking, we don't even know if she was ever real, or if she was just always Balor," Ian said. Kathy nodded, and began to back-track the memories with her cat. Had it really been a demon the whole time?

"Though I'm sure that's not the case," Katie said, nudging Ian in the ribs. "She should turn up soon. Until then, I made us some dinner. Ya hungry?" Kathy nodded.

"Kate, can you give us a moment. I'd like to have a word with Kath before dinner," Ian said. Katie hesitated, but eventually gave in and nodded slowly, leaving the room. Ian scooted closer to Kath and smiled. "So, about earlier... I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Kathy said.

"No it isn't. I was wrong to treat you so harshly, especially since you're having to transition to a new way of living that was so graciously displayed this evening," Ian said, making Kath laugh a little. "So in the future, just remind me of tonight or just smack me like Katie does, okay?" Kathy nodded and sat up. "Okay. Let's go get some dinner."


	28. Fairy Tale Horror

A/N: In light of the start of December, a new chapter is up.You better get used to hearing this... Ian wrote this one by his lonesome. It's okay :P Character Kath's bio is up, chapter 25. Also, Ian's birthday changed, because the whole "born within three months" thing was weird. I think that's all... So enjoy.

Oh... and since Kath has telepathy,when she uses it, it's in # marks from now on. I hope it works.

* * *

**Episode 2.3: Fairy Tale Horror **

"Once upon a time... a magician made a magic mirror. In this mirror, a kind face became wicked, a look of hate was reflected as a look of love. The Snow Queen lived in this mirror. And she longed to escape. One day the mirror broke, and The Snow Queen got her wish."

Kathy sat in the attic in one of the old and dusty chairs, reading a book of Fairy Tales. She turned the page and was about to continue, when her sister entered the room. Kathy had just recently found her two other siblings. She had come to live with them in this large house. Together they fought the evil of the world, using their magic to save innocents.

"Hey, sis," Katie said. "What are you doing?"

"Well I came up here to look around the attic, and I found this. A book of Fairy Tales."

Katie made a face. "Fairy Tales? Oh please, those things are so childish."

"No they're not," Kathy said, shaking her head. "I love reading Fairy Tales. And personally I think they are all true stories."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Well come on. Breakfast is ready. And you better hurry if you want to say anything to Ian. He has to lave for work soon."

Kathy got up and then set the book back on the chair. The two sisters then walked out of the attic together, not noticing what was going on near the window.

The air filled with a ghostly gray smoke, and a man appeared. Yet, he was not a man at all. He was a demon. A demon of illusion. His name was Salazar. And he had come to kill Katie, Kathy, and Ian. Salazar was about to leave the attic when he noticed a book laying on a chair. "Fairy Tales..... Well, that gives me an idea. I came here to just outright kill the witches, but this is a much better plan." Picking up the book, Salazar sat down and began to read.

---

Downstairs in the kitchen, the three siblings sat eating breakfast. Well.... two did. Ian sat their typing furiously at his laptop. "Ian," Katie said, "will you please stop typing at that thing and eat your breakfast? You need food.... and besides, you are giving me a headache."

Ian stopped typing only long enough to give his sister a small glare. "Excuse me for trying to keep this place running. I have to finish this article of mine and turn it into Derek later today. And if I am bothering you then I guess I will have to leave." Ian closed the laptop and got up from the table with it. "Alright, I will see you guys later," Ian said, taking a large gulp from his coffee mug.

The two sisters waved as Ian headed out of the kitchen. Katie turned to Kathy and smiled. "So what is on your agenda today?"

"Well," Kathy said, placing her fork on her plate, "today is my day off. So I am just going to relax with a good book."

"Good, then you can help me pick out what I am going to wear today. Oh! But there is this wonderful necklace of Grandma's in the attic. I was thinking of wearing it today. Come on, I'll show you."

They got up and headed up the stairs and into the attic. "It is just the best thing ever. It has a gold chain with little—" Katie stopped. They had reached the attic. And there, sitting in one of the chairs, was Salazar.

"What the hell?" Katie threw up her hands to freeze the demon, but his disappeared in a puff of gray smoke. "What was he doing?"

Kathy shook her head in confusion. "He was looking through the Fairy Tale book... and he took it with him."

"And what would a demon want with a book of Fairy Tales?"

"I have no idea...."

---

Salazar appeared in the apartment he had bought for when he was going to be in town for awhile. He snapped his fingers and a fire burst to life in the fireplace. Setting the book he had stolen on a large wooden table, Salazar made his way over to a metal cabinet. He opened it and took out a large basin, filled with water. He set that on the table next to the book.

Waving his hand over it, the water shimmered, and in it appeared a scene of Katie and Kathy, standing in the attic.

Salazar opened the Fairy Tale book and turned the pages. "Ah," he said, stopping on one Tale. "The Snow Queen.... let's see how she does." Salazar concentrated, his hands held over the book. It started to glow and then a beam of light shot out of it and hung in the air. It grew large and then changed into The Snow Queen. "Now," Salazar said to her. "Go and kill the witches." The Snow Queen nodded and faded away in a gust of cold, snowy air.

---

"Okay, so a demon stole a Fairy Tale book. Who cares?" Katie and Kathy stood in the attic, trying to figure out what the demon had wanted. But they were interrupted by a large gust of freezing wind. A white whirlwind arose near the door to the room, and out of it came a woman dressed in an ice blue. Her hair seemed to be filled with icicles, and her eyes were cold.

Before anyone could speak she sent a blast a snow filled wind at Kathy, knocking her into the wall. She then turned to Katie and sent a speeding ice spear at her. Katie screamed and held up her hand in front of her. The spear slowed and the flew back to the attacker. It hit her in the chest and she exploded in a burst of brilliant blue light.

"What the hell was that?" Katie said, going to help up her sister.

Kathy brushed herself off and answered. "That.... that was the Snow Queen. From one of the Fairy Tales."

"What? Well how did that demon make a Fairy Tale come to life?"

"I don't know."

Katie sighed. "Okay, you check the Book. See if you can find that demon in there. I have to go to work. Call me when you find something out." She then turned on her heal and walked out of the room. Kathy bit her lip and looked at the Book Of Shadows. She was not too familiar with it, but she would give it her best shot.

---

Ian burst through the front doors of The Central newspaper building where he worked. He had hit some traffic on the way over and was running late. "Hey, Marta!" he called as he went past the information desk. She didn't have a chance to answer, because Ian was already halfway up the stairs to the second level.

On entering his office, Ian grabbed his mug off his desk and filled it up with some coffee. "Ah..... good ol' caffeine. Gives the body strength." He sat down and turned on his computer. "Okay, let's see..... upload file.... okay." Ian started typing away on his article on George W. Bush. He was in the middle of a paragraph of how appalled he was that the President was doing car commercials while they were in a state of war. "The public is just gonna love this...."

---

"Ah ha.... found the demon." Kathy had the BOS opened to a page with the description of the demon they had seen earlier. "Demon of Illusion: Demons of Illusion use magic to create violence in society. But they also have the power to bring to life, and control, beings from books and movies. Demons of Illusion are immune to a witch's powers, so they should be avoided as necessary."

Kathy frowned. "There is no vanquishing spell of potion. Well then how are we supposed to destroy him?!" She sighed and then took out her cell phone to call Katie.

---

Katie was in her office, tinkering with an opened up control panel, when her cell phone rang from her purse. Setting the panel down she dug the phone out of her purse and answered it. "Hello?"

"Katie, it's me."

"....Who is this?"

"Kathy! Sheesh we have been living together for a few weeks now and you don't even know my voice?"

"Sorry, I was.... distracted. So, did you find the demon?" she said quickly, changing the subject.

"Yes. It is a demon of illusion. Can bring things from books and movies to life.... immune to witches powers.... no vanquish listed."

Katie winced. She hated it when there was no vanquish in the Book. "Alright, I will come home after lunch and you and me can make a potion."

"Shouldn't we call Ian?"

"No, he is very busy. And we should be able to handle it. I mean, come on. How tough can Fairy Tales be?"

---

Salazar watched Katie in the basin of water, grinning evilly. "I mean, come on. How tough can Fairy Tales be?"

Salazar chuckled. "Ah, more tougher than you can comprehend, little witch." He turned away from the basin and opened the book. "The Snow Queen may have failed.... but let us concentrate now on the male witch." Salazar stopped on the Fairy Tale of Jack and The Beanstalk. Waving his hand over the basin, Salazar watched the image change to Ian. "You can deal with demons and warlocks... but how will you fair with a giant?"

---

Ian sipped his coffee and then clicked print. He had just finished his article and was starting to restless, sitting there in his chair. Ian pushed a button on his phone and a second later, Jane, his secretary, came in.

"Yes, boss?"

Ian flashed a smile. Jane had wonderful blonde hair, that seemed to shimmer when the sun hit it. She always had a smile on her face and was glad to help Ian do his job.

"Hey, Jane. Um, I would like you to get my article from the printer and give it to Derek. Do you have time for that?"

Jane nodded. "Of course."

"Thanks," Ian said, getting up from his seat. "I am going to go get some fresh air in Central Park. I'll be back later." He then grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and left the office.

Once at the park Ian started down the path, taking it all in. The air was a bit chilly, but not too bad. It was just about Autumn and the leaves on the trees were starting to change color. Ian loved to watch the trees change. From green, to yellow, to red. Many different and wonderful colors. Right now the leaves were mostly a darker yellow.

Ian looked up into the sky and saw some geese flying south, flapping together in their V-shaped formation. Ian wondered what it would be like to fly. His power of levitation was as close as he got to it. But to be able to soar above the trees, the wind whipping through your hair..... it would be magnificent.

Lost in thought, Ian did not notice the man that came out of the trees from the right. "Excuse me."

Ian started. "Oh, sorry. I didn't know you were there. Do you need something?" The man was tall. His hair was black, but it was graying slightly. He had a well shaved beard that came to a point on his chin. Yet there was something about him. Something not right.

"I am a fellow witch. I have come to give you a gift. I know of your family line. Know of its power. And I want to give you something to help you in you quest to fight evil."

Ian frowned. He had never had someone just come up to him and tell him that they were a witch. Usually Ian had to search them out. "What is it?"

The man held out his hand and opened it. There were three beans. Lima beans, Ian thought. "Here. Take these."

"Um.... beans? How will that help me?"

"They are not ordinary beans. They are magic. Very powerful..... they should help you."

Ian took the beans from the man. As soon as he did the man smiled and then began to walk away. "Wait!" Ian called. The man stopped and turned to Ian, looking as though he wanted to run. "Um... what is your name?"

"Salazar." And with that he went into the trees and faded out of sight.

Ian looked down at the beans he held in his hand. "Magic beans, huh? Strange." Ian began to walk again. But after a minute his foot caught a protruding root and he tripped. The beans flew out of his hand and landed in the grass to the side of the path. Ian got up and brushed himself off. "Ouch.... someone should do something about that root."

RUMBLE RUMBLE! The ground shook furiously and Ian tried to keep his balance. Then, out of the ground where the beans had landed, a huge green mass shot up. It grew and grew and grew. Up it went, into the clouds. The rumbling stopped and Ian stared at the thing that had just come out of the moist earth. It was a beanstalk!

"This is insane....." But Ian thought for a moment. He had just been wanting to see the world from high up. This was his chance. Ian made his way over to the beanstalk and then started to climb.

---

It was lunch time, and Katie had decided to go to a local Cafe. The place was called Cafe Heaven, and Katie had been to there a few times. It was a nice place, filled with cozy chairs, good music, and lots of nice people. The ceiling was painted blue, with white and puffy clouds.

Katie made her way to the counter and placed her order. A Vanilla Latte with whipped cream. Her favorite. After paying for her drink, Katie turned around and bumped right into someone. She dropped her Latte and the cup shattered on the floor, spilling glass and latte all over. "Oh crap!" Katie exclaimed.

"Oh, I am so sorry. Are you alright?"

Katie turned and looked at the man she had bumped into. Her eyes lit up as she saw him. His face was handsome, and young. He had short blonde hair and blues eyes that seemed to sparkle. "I'm.... fine," Katie said, startled by this great looking man.

An employee came out. "It's alright. I'll take care of it."

"Thank you," Katie said, still looking at the man. He smiled. And

what a great smile, Katie thought.

"My name's Matt."

"Katie." She shook Matt's hand and grinned.

"Here, let me buy you another drink." Katie told him what she had had and Matt quickly got two of them from the counter. He led Katie over to some plush chairs and they sat down. Matt handed Katie her latte and then took a sip of his. "I'm really sorry for bumping into you. I was just stunned by your beauty."

Katie blushed. "Well, thank you." The two talked for awhile more, and Katie liked Matt better with every passing second. He was funny, charming, and his voice was just wonderful to listen to. She could have sat there all day, just staring into those blue eyes and listening to him talk.

"Well, listen. I have to get going. But... I would really like to see you again. Um, I am attending a Charity Banquet tonight... and I would like you to come."

Katie smiled. "Me? Really?"

"Yes, you. Really."

"Sure. I would love to come."

Matt flashed a grin. "Good.... Well usually I would pick you up, but I have to be there real early. So you can just meet me there." Matt wrote down the time and address and then gave it to Katie. "Okay, be there at seven tonight."

Katie ripped off a piece of the paper and then wrote down the address and number for the manor. "If you want to call or stop by, you can."

Matt took the paper and then got up. "Okay, see you at the ball." Katie waved and then watched as Matt left.

---

The cool wind whipped Ian's face, making him shiver. He looked down and saw that he was now very high up. Yet the top of the beanstalk was way higher.

"I don't know how I am going to get up there." As if the beanstalk heard him, it suddenly began to grow again. Up Ian went. Higher and higher. He went through the clouds and then the beanstalk stopped.

Ian looked around. Just a few feet below him was solid ground. He hopped down and took in his surroundings. He was in a vast field. Birds chirped from the trees. They were not yellow here. They were in full bloom, brilliantly green. And then to the left Ian saw a huge castle. It towered over him, like a mountain. Ian walked up to the very large wooden door that seemed to have been made for a giant. He pushed with all his might and the door opened. Ian went inside and looked around the dim chamber.

Everything was so big! The chairs, the tables.... everything towered over Ian. "Okay.... maybe a giant does live here." THUMP! The ground shook. "What was that?!" THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! The door at the other end of the chamber swung open. And entering it was.... a giant! "Oh.... a giant DOES live here. What the hell is this any—.....Am I in a Fairy Tale?!"

The giant made his way across the room to a large table, making the floor shake with every step. Ian ran for cover behind one of the table legs. The giant took in a deep sniff of the air. "I smell an intruder!"

"Uh oh..... I better get out of here." Ian ran for the door, but before he could reach it he was grabbed by the giant. Up he went. Next thing he knew, Ian was staring into the huge face of the giant.

"Intruder!" yelled the giant.

"Oh.... ugh. Get a breath mint!"

The giant roared and then threw Ian onto the table. "Me eat intruder!"

"Oh no you don't!" Ian turned and high-tailed it across the wooden table, hiding behind a bowel of giant fruit.

---

"Kathy?!" Katie called, as she entered the manor. "Where are you?!"

"In here!" came the response from the kitchen. Katie hung up her jacket on the coat peg and then made her way to the kitchen. Kathy was sitting at the table with the BOS opened up to the page of the Demon Of Illusion. "Hey," she said.

"Hi. So are you ready to make some potions?" Before Kathy could answer, the doorbell rang. "Okay, hold on a minute." Katie went back to the foyer and opened the door. There was no one there. "Weird...." Katie was about to close the door when she saw a white box with a purple bow on the step. Katie picked it up and went back inside, not noticing Salazar hiding in the bushes and then disappearing in a puff of gray smoke.

Katie entered the kitchen and set the box on the table. "Who is that from?" Kathy asked.

"Well... this note says, 'Wear these at the ball.' So they must be from Matt." Katie smiled.

"Matt? Who is Matt?"

"This guy I met at lunch. He invited me to a Ball tonight...." Katie looked at her watch. "Oh, and it's soon." She opened the box and gasped. "Glass slippers! Oh he is so romantic."

Kathy gave her a quizzical look. "Glass slippers? Um... Kate? Doesn't that seem like the Fairy Tale of Cinderella?"

"That is just coincidence. These are from Matt." Katie took the slippers out and set them on the floor. Then, after taking off her own shoes, she put the slippers on. A blue light surrounded her and then faded away. Katie was now dressed in a majestic white dress that flowed around her. Her hairs was up in a braided bun, and rose petals were entwined with it.

"Okay, this is definitely not a coincidence. This is Fairy Tale magic. Now take off those shoes."

But Katie did not take them off. "I must go to the ball," she said. She turned and began to walk away, towards the front door.

"Katie! Come back here!" Kathy jumped up from the table and went after her sister. "Katie, stop! We have to get you out of those slippers!" Kathy made a grab at Katie's arm, but Katie turned swung her hand at Kathy, using her power. Kathy flew back and landed on the floor with a thud.

"I must go to the ball." Katie went through the foyer and then out the door. On the curb waited a carriage pulled by a white horse. Katie went down the steps and up to the curb. And then, without a single glance back to the manor, Katie got into the carriage and it pulled away down the street.

"Katie!" Kathy called from the doorway. But it was too late. "Ugh! It was like she was in a trance! And she used her powers against me!" Kathy slammed the front door and then went back to the kitchen. Picking up the BOS she made her way up to the attic. "I have to call Ian. He will know what to do. He has more experience." Kathy went into the attic and set the Book on its pedestal. She was about to take out her cell phone, when there was a flash of green light from behind her. Kathy turned.

There was a spinning wheel sitting there. Kathy went into a trance and went forward. She reached out her hand to the Spindle and pricked her finger. Instantly, Kathy fell to the floor and laid there in a deep sleep. The manor then was filled with hundreds of thorn bushes, taking up every bit of space. Only the attic was clear.

Across town, Tobias sat in his home, eating dinner. Then he glowed and his clothes changed into that of a Prince's. He also had a sword. "Kathy... my love. She needs me!" Tobias then rushed out of the house and leaped onto a Black steed that had just a minute ago been his car. The horse reared and then galloped down the road, towards the King manor.

---

Ian sat, breathing hard, on the enormous table, hiding behind a wooden mug. "Where are you?!" yelled the giant. He whacked aside the mug, exposing Ian. "AH HA!" The giant reached down to grab Ian, but Ian threw up his hand to use his power. It was not very strong against a giant, but it was enough to blow off a small chunk of his finger. "OW!" The giant yelled. He reeled back and examined his injury.

"Now's my chance," Ian whispered. He ran to the edge of the table and leapt off. Ian snagged the curtain of the window that was next to the table and slid down it. Once on the floor Ian sped for the door.

"No!" the giant yelled.

But Ian was too quick for him this time. He made it outside and to the beanstalk. Jumping on Ian screamed, "Down!" The beanstalk obeyed and began to rocket toward the ground. Now high above Ian, the giant leapt onto the beanstalk. Down they went, faster and faster. "Stop!" Ian cried as he made it to the grass. The beanstalk stopped. Ian jumped of and then turned. Using his power he blasted through the beanstalk.

CRACK! The beanstalk swept side ways and fell. Hundreds of feet up, the giant fell too. Ian backed away to a safe distance and.... WHAM! The beanstalk hit. WHAM! And then the giant... It was dead. In a flash of golden light, both the giant and the beanstalk disappeared. Ian let out a sigh of relief. "Okay. Now to find out what the hell is going on."

---

Over at the Copa Country Club, Katie's carriage came to a halt. The door opened and she got out. Inside, Katie looked around. The ball room was beautiful. Dancers were everywhere, spinning about as the music played. Just then, Katie came out of her trance. Yet she did not remember attacking Kathy. "Katie!"

Katie turned. There was Matt, coming towards her. "Hi," she said. "This place is wonderful."

"Thank you. I set it up." He smiled.

"Really? You never told me that."

"I did not want you to be intimidated." Katie laughed and Matt smiled again. "Would you like to dance?" he asked, holding out his hand.

Katie took it. "I would love to." The next song began and Katie and Matt went waltzing across the dance floor.

---

Tobias arrived at the manor and jumped off his horse. He ran up to the door and pushed it open. "Whoa!" Tobias stepped back. There were thorn bushes everywhere, blocking his path. Taking out his sword he slashed at the first bush that blocked the doorway.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Tobias kept cutting, making his way through the house and up the stairs.

Tobias finally got past all the thorn bushes and went into the attic. There lay Kathy, fast asleep. Her skin was pale.... all white, except for one little spot of red where she had pricked her finger. Tobias kneeled down next to her and lifted her up. Leaning in, Tobias kissed Kathy on the lips. Instantly she awoke.

"Tobias," she said.

"My love." There was a flash of golden light and Tobias's clothes returned to normal. The thorn bushes disappeared. And outside, the black horse changed back into a car. "Okay," Tobias said. "What just happened here?"

Kathy got up and sighed. "Well, a demon stole a book of Fairy Tales and used his powers to make them come to life." Kathy turned to where the spinning wheel had been, but it had gone. "And we were in the Tale of Sleeping Beauty."

There was the slam of the front door from downstairs. "Hello?! Anyone here?!" came Ian's voice.

"Up in the attic!" Kathy called.

A minute later Ian entered the room. "Okay, what the hell is going on? I was just attacked by a giant after I went up a beanstalk." Kathy explained everything. "Alright then... well we have to go find Katie and then vanquish the demon before he lets loose anymore Fairy Tales. But first we need to make a spell."

Tobias turned to Kathy. "I'm sorry, but this isn't my fight. And I need to get home." Kathy nodded and they kissed. Tobias then left.

"Well come on, Kath! Let's get a move on and make this spell."

---

Katie and Matt spun around and around, tuning out everything other than themselves. "Have I told you that you have beautiful eyes?"

Katie chuckled. "Yeah. About five minutes ago."

"Oh, sorry. But there is no harm in saying it again." The song ended and they stopped dancing. "How about we go get some drinks?" He took Katie's hand and led her over to a long table. He got them both some champagne and the two clinked their glasses. "To a wonderful night."

"To a wonderful night," Katie repeated, and they both sipped.

---

"Okay, I have the spell," Ian said, coming into the kitchen. Kathy sat at the table with a cup of coffee in her hands. It was getting late, and she needed the caffeine.

"Good, then let's go get out sister." Kathy had found out where Katie had gone after finding the address in her sister's purse. She gulped down the rest of her coffee and then got up to put the cup in the sink. "Okay, let's go."

---

Dong! Dong! Dong! Katie looked up at the large clock in the room. It was just about midnight. She was sucked into a trance again. "I'm sorry, I have to go," she said.

"But it's only midnight," Matt replied.

"I'm sorry." Dong! Katie then went into a run. She tripped and one of her glass slippers came off. But Katie just kept running. She ran outside where her carriage awaited. Dong!

There was the screech of tires and Ian and Katie pulled up. Jumping out of the car they ran towards their sister. "Katie!"

Dong! The door of the carriage opened and Katie leaped inside. The door slammed shut. Dong! It was midnight. A with a flash the carriage turned into a pumpkin, along with Katie.

"No!" Kathy yelled. She ran to get the pumpkin, but Salazar suddenly appeared.

He grabbed the pumpkin off the ground and held it close. "The end," he said with an evil laugh. And poof! He was gone.

"Oh no... Ian, what do we do?" Kathy was frantic. Her sister had just changed into a pumpkin and was captured by a demon.

"It's okay. We'll get her back," Ian said calmly. He took a map and scrying crystal out of his pocket and then spread the map out on the hood of his black Honda. Swinging the crystal slowly, Ian waited for the magic to take effect. After a moment the crystal gave a sharp pull and landed. "I have a location. Let's go."

---

Salazar stood at the wooden table in his apartment. On it were the basin of water, the Fairy Tale book, and the pumpkin. "Ah, this was so much fun. Much better than my original plan. Sure, the others escaped their Fairy Tales, but as long as I have destroyed at least one, their power will be broken. And the other two will be easy pickings."

Salazar lifted the pumpkin off the table and was about to throw it to the floor and smash it when the door exploded. Ian and Kathy entered. "Hold it right there!" Ian said. Salazar glared at the two witches and then thrust the pumpkin towards the ground.

But before it hit, an astral Kathy appeared and caught it. "Got ya, sis." She threw the pumpkin to Ian and then astraled back into her body.

Ian set the pumpkin down and then took out the spell. Kathy moved next to him and they started to read. "Fairy Tales have gone a sunder, spreading evil to and fro. Your wicked ways shall end here, into the book you go!"

"No!" Salazar screamed. But there was nothing he could do. He was pulled into the book of Fairy Tales. Kathy went and grabbed the book off the table and then threw it into the fireplace, where it burned quickly.

Flash! The pumpkin transformed back into Katie. "Whoa...... what happened?"

"You were a pumpkin," Ian said.

"Oh. Well no one was gonna eat me, were they?"

Kathy shook her head. "Nope. Just smash ya into a thousand pieces."

"I see.... And where is the demon?" Both Ian and Kathy pointed to the smoldering remains of the Fairy Tale book in the fireplace. "Uh huh. Well why don't we..... Oh no! Matt! I left him at the ball!" And with that she orbed out.

Ian looked at Kathy. "Let's just go home." She nodded and the two left.

---

Back at the ball, people were still dancing away. Yet Matt just sat there, watching. In his hands he held the glass slipper that had fallen off of Katie's foot. He sighed, but then there was a tap on his shoulder. Matt turned around. "Katie! You're back."

Katie grinned. "Yeah. Sorry about earlier. I remembered some important business that I had to take care of."

"Well where did your dress go?"

Katie frowned. "You don't like what I am wearing now?" she asked.

"Oh, no, you look great. You look absolutely wonderful."

Katie grinned again. "Thanks." A slow song started. "May I have this dance?" Katie asked, holding out her hand. Matt set the glass slipper on the table next to him and took Katie's hand as he stood up. The slipper disappeared in a shimmer of sparkling lights as the two walked out onto the dance floor.


	29. The Grinch

A/N: Here's another Ian-make. Happy Holidays!

* * *

**Episode 2.4: The Grinch**

"Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock! Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring." Ian sang along with the CD player he had set up on the bar of King's Corner. The club had not opened yet and Ian and his sisters were putting up Christmas decorations.

"Okay Ian, change the song. We have listened to that one over and over for the past hour." Katie came down off a tall ladder to get some more tinsel.

"Oh but I love this song. And I know that you do too."

"Yeah, I loved it the first three times we played it. Not the next thirty," Katie said as she got back up onto the ladder.

"Fine." Ian frowned as he turned off the music. He glanced across to room to see Kathy, their new sister, hanging up a tiny Santa Clause onto the tree they had put in the corner. She had been silent almost the whole time they had been there. "Kathy, come on. Get into the Christmas spirit! It is the first Christmas that we three have had together. We need to make it perfect."

Kathy turned and gave Ian a small smile. "I know, but usually I don't spend my Christmas having a big party. Most of the time I just go out with a few friends and then go home. And last year I spent it with Tobias."

"Well Christmas is not a time for quiet," Katie said as she hung tinsel from the ceiling. "Especially when you live with us. And we are big present buyers. So we will get you a lot of stuff... and you will get us a lot of stuff."

Ian laughed. "Hey, Kate, remember last year? With all the demon kids and everything? And I went totally whacko when Jason used his emotion power against me?"

Katie got off the ladder with a grin on her face. "Oh yeah... You were totally psycho. And that was also when you got your levitation power."

"And I have loved it ever since." Ian looked over to see Kathy looking solemn again. "Oh, Kath, we're sorry. Talking about old stories that you don't know. But hey, we are now making new memories. Like just two months ago we had Fairy Tales turned against us. Now that is definitely one to remember."

Kathy laughed. "Yeah, it is. Katie was turned into a pumpkin and almost smashed into a thousand pieces."

"Hey, I was a cute pumpkin. And I already thanked you for saving me. But it is a good memory because that was when I met Matt."

"That reminds me. Is he coming to the Christmas Eve party here tomorrow?" Ian asked.

Katie nodded. "Yep. So it better be a damn good party. I want to impress him."

Ian rolled his eyes. "Impress him? Katie he is already drooling over you. If you impress him at this party I am going to need a very big mop."

"Hey! You know, if I could freeze you, I would. Often."

Ian grinned. "But ya can't. So ha!"

"Oh shush," Katie said. She picked up a CD off one of the small tables and came over to the bar. "Here, put this one on."

Ian took the CD and felt a wave of mental energy flow through him. A premonition was coming. Ian closed his eyes and the images blasted into his mind. Katie was climbing onto the ladder.... it started to tilt... and it fell, making Katie have an instant broken neck. As the images faded Ian opened his eyes and took in a slow breath. His visions always took a little bit out of him and he needed a second to recuperate.

"Ian, what is it?" Katie asked.

"Don't get back up on that ladder. You will fall and break your neck."

Katie frowned and then went over to the ladder to examine it. "And here's why," she said after a moment. Katie pointed at one of the bolts. "This is loose.... Thanks for the heads up, Ian."

Ian nodded, glad that he had saved his sister. "Anytime."

---

"Timmy! I want you to come inside in two minutes. It's almost your bed time!" Timmy's mom watched her son nod and wave to her from where he stood in their backyard. She then turned and went back inside.

Timmy smiled at the snow angel he had just made. He had been careful not to mess it up when getting up from the snowy ground. Timmy was about to make another snow angel when he heard a noise behind him. Timmy turned to see a tall man standing there.

He wore a dark trench coat and a black hat. His face was old and ridged. "Hello little boy," he croaked.

"Hi. Who are you?" Timmy asked. He was cautious. His mom had told him not to talk to strangers.

"My name is one that you wouldn't be able to pronounce with your mortal tongue. Most just call me The Grinch."

Timmy was starting to get scared. "Like the one from the stories?"

The Grinch nodded. "A little like that. But I am not stealing Christmas. Just Christmas spirit." Before Timmy could react, The Grinch grabbed him and put his hand on the child's head. A white smoky wisp of something rose out of Timmy and went into The Grinch. He then pushed Timmy away and faded away

into the darkness.

"Timmy!" Timmy's mom stood in the doorway to their house. "Bed time. But maybe you can have a little eggnog before you brush your teeth."

"I don't want any crappy eggnog!" Timmy yelled in a snotty way as he came towards the door.

"Did you fall in the snow or something?"

"Oh shut up you old wind bag!"

Timmy's mom got really mad. "Alright, that's it! Go to your room, now!"

"Fine with me," Timmy mumbled. And he went through the house and to his room, slamming the door behind him.

---

Kathy sighed as she turned down another aisle at the local mall. It was Christmas Eve and Kathy still had to find presents for her new siblings. Yet she had only known them for a few months and she really had no idea what they would like.

She picked up a No Doubt CD and examined it. "Well.... Ian might like this. But a CD is so passé." Sighing again she set the CD back down. "Well men are tough to buy for. Now Katie... I can just get her some Shampoo gift basket or something. That is what my friends get me every year." Kathy chuckled to herself and then turned down another aisle.

"Oh!" she cried when she bumped right into someone. "Oh I am so sorry—" Kathy looked at who it was. "—Tobias? What are you doing here?"

Tobias quickly put a bag behind his back and grinned sheepishly. "Um... shopping?"

Kathy eyed him for a moment. "Shopping for who?"

"Uh... well... my dog. Yes, my dog."

Kathy frowned. "Yeah, see, you don't have a dog."

Tobias shifted his eyes and then said, "You are right. I should go get my money back then. Bye." And he was gone.

"Okay... either he has been possessed by a demon or he was trying to hide something from me."

---

"Are you hiding something from me?" Katie glared across the table at Matt, who had been avoiding her gaze the whole time. They were at a small Diner called Mary Lou's. The two had finished their food and were sitting there talking. Well... Katie was.

"What?" Matt asked. "Oh... no. I am not hiding anything. Why would you think that?"

"Oh I don't know... maybe because you have been acting strange all day."

"I just have a lot on my mind."

"Then why don't you tell me some of what it is and take a load off." Katie finished off her second cup of coffee and set it down. Almost instantly a waitress came over and poured her another cup. "Thanks," Katie said with a slight smile.

"No problem, sugar." The waitress then bustled of across the room to fill up someone else's cup.

"Now," Katie said, turning back to Matt, "what's on your mind?"

Matt stood up and put on his coat. "Nothing. Look... I will talk to you later. I have to go." He quickly put some money on the table and then left before Katie could say anything.

---

Ian looked up from his computer when there was a knock at his office door. "Hey Derek. Come on in."

Ian's boss walked into the room and set an envelope on his cluttered desk. "There is your Christmas bonus. You earned it."

Ian picked up the envelope and opened it. He pulled out a check and his eyes widened when he saw the amount. "Uh, I don't think I deserve this much."

Derek shook his head. "No, you do. Your columns have been very good since I promoted you. I have no regrets for that. Now, enjoy the money and go home. I am letting everyone off early today. Now get going." Derek smiled a crooked smile and then left.

Ian looked at the check again and grinned. "I know exactly what I am going to do with this money."

---

Kathy flipped off the radio in her car as she drove down the road. The stations kept playing Christmas song after Christmas song and Kathy was getting just a little sick of it.

She had been mulling over Tobias's weird behavior at the mall since he had left. She didn't know what was up with her witch boyfriend, but she was going to find out. And soon. As Kathy drove past the local park, a shiver went down her spine.

"Well the heat is turned all the way up..." Another shiver went through her and then a whisper spoke in her head. "I'm just tired. That's all."

_#That's right... come here little girl,#_ came another whisper.

"Okay, that's it." Kathy pulled over and got out of the car. She zipped her coat up and looked around. She sensed something coming from the woods that stood on the edge of the park. Concentrating on her power, Kathy made her way up a snowy slope and into the woods. There was something evil close by; she knew it. But where?

All of a sudden there was a scream coming from her left. Kathy spun and ran towards the sound, her feet kicking up the white powder. She came to a clearing to see a little girl struggling to get out of the grasp of a tall man in a dark trench coat and a black hat.

"Hey!" Kathy yelled. The man glanced up at her. His face was old and creased. And his eyes were anything but human. He was a demon! With the evil creature temporarily distracted, the young girl got free and ran out of the clearing. But the demon did not follow. His gaze was locked onto Kathy. "Witch," he said, his lips barely moving.

"That's right," Kathy said. "I am a witch. And a powerful one at that."

The demon laughed. It sounded more like a cough. A horrible and hacking cough. He grinned, showing off rotten, pointed teeth. "You think so, huh? We shall see." He held up his hand and his yellowed finger nails grew three inches long. The demon laughed again as he came at Kathy.

Fear seeped into her and she felt like she was frozen in place. The demon came closer and closer until he was so close that Kathy could smell his breath. It stank like spoiled fish. He closed his hand around her throat and began to squeeze. "Powerful, did you say?" he rasped.

"Yeah," Kathy choked. She felt warmth flow through her again and then closed her eyes. Opening them again she stared at the demon's back. She was behind him now; Kathy had astral projected. The demon did not notice. Glancing around, Kathy saw a broken branch laying a foot away. She grabbed it up, and then, using it like a club, Kathy whacked the demon across he head.

He fell and rolled, his hat falling off and landing in the snow. Kathy smiled as she saw his look of surprise when he saw her. "How did you...?"

"Astral projection. Too bad for you." Kathy let go of the branch and returned to her body.

The demon stood, but not before picking up his hat and putting it back on his balding head. "I'll be back for you. Next time you won't be so lucky." And then he was gone.

Kathy breathed a sigh of relief. That demon could have chosen to stay and fight. Her biggest offense was her power to astral project. And even that was not enough to fend off most evils. She needed to get home and tell her siblings about this new demon. Hopefully they could find a way to vanquish him before the Christmas party at King's Corner.

---

"I'm home!" Ian called as he opened up the door to the manor. He was carrying a very large box and was trying not to drop it.

"Hey," Katie said, coming into the foyer. "And... you brought something with you. What is it?"

Ian set down the box and then hung his coat on the peg. "This, my dear sister, is a new television. I was getting sick of having to fix our other one after every demon attacked... and the reception on it was getting really bad. So here is a new one."

Katie raised an eyebrow. "And where did you get the money to buy this new TV?"

Ian smiled and picked up the box again, bringing it into the living room. "Well it wouldn't have put a very large dent in our pockets anyway. But I paid for this with a very hefty Christmas bonus." He set the cardboard box down onto the couch and Katie sat down next to it.

"I see. Wish I could get a good bonus. I have been getting barely anything since my boss has been kinda mad that I miss so much work. Yet I can't really tell him that I am off vanquishing demons and not just sitting around and twirling my hair."

Ian nodded. He knew that his sister loved her job, but she was a very busy person. She was a witch who had to save the world, AND they had both just gotten a new sister a few months ago that they had had no idea that she had existed before then.

"Well," Ian said, letting a grin come onto his face, "that is what is good about my two jobs. I own the club, so I can leave when I want. And I am a writer for the newspaper. Yes, I do have to go into the office and all, but a lot of the time I can just work from home if I need to."

"Yes. Lucky you." Katie rolled her eyes and then glanced at the television that sat on their movie cabinet already. "So what are we going to do with that one?"

Ian was about to answer when the front door slammed and Kathy came running into the room. "Oh I am so glad you guys are home!" Kathy was panting a little and there was a good amount of mud on her shoes. It was now also in several spots from the front door to the entrance of the living room.

"Okay, I know that look." Ian's happy mood washed away as he studied his new sister's face. "There is something wrong and it is not something... normal. Right?"

Kathy nodded. "Yeah, I just had a run in with a demon."

"Oh great," Katie said with annoyance. "Don't these evil beings ever take a day off?"

"Apparently not. And this one is really evil, because it was attacking a kid."

Ian groaned. "Oh no. It better not be a Grimlock. Last time we dealt with those demons I went blind." Kathy opened her mouth to ask a question, but Ian cut her off by saying, "Don't ask."

Katie pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked up at Kathy. "So, was it a Grimlock? Big, white skin, bald, whirling eyes, steals the sight of children. One of those?"

Kathy bit her lip. "Do they wear hats and can have their nails grow three inches long?"

Ian shook his head. "Don't think so."

"Then nope. Not a Grimlock."

"Alright then. Kathy, Kate, you guys check the Book Of Shadows, please. I will be up in a few minutes. I have to make a quick phone call."

---

"How are we ever supposed to find anything in this book? It is so huge." Kathy turned yet another page of the Book Of Shadows, still without any idea who the demon was that she had confronted.

"Well it takes some getting used to and a lot of luck," Katie said from her spot in a small chair that sat next to the frosted window. She had been staring out of it for the past few minutes since they had gone up to the attic.

"Okay, you know, you could help a little here. You are more of an expert at this stuff than I am. What exactly are you doing anyway?"

Katie got up from her chair and came over to stand next to Kathy. "Sorry. I was just thinking. Matt acted really weird today and then pretty much ran out of the restaurant on me."

Kathy stopped turning the pages and frowned. "Really? Tobias was acting strange too. I ran in to him at the mall. He had something hidden behind his back and said it was a present for his dog."

"But he doesn't have a dog. ... Does he?"

Kathy shook her head. "Nope."

A smile crept onto Katie's face. "It was probably a present for you."

"Might be. But I won't be able to get it if we don't find this... demon." Kathy looked down at the page she had stopped on. It had a picture of a demon wearing a black trench coat, black hat, and had old, creased, skin. "The Grinch," Kathy whispered.

Katie looked over her sister's shoulder and read the page out loud. "This demon's real name is not known by many because it cannot be pronounced by many a tongue. He has been nicknamed The Grinch for the reason that he only appears at Christmas time and for his ability to steal the Christmas spirit from young children. The Grinch has lived for hundreds of years and is very old. Only the young and powerful spirits of children around Christmas time can keep him living for one more year; until the next Christmas."

Kathy read the rest. "The only way to vanquish him is to drain the spirits that he has stolen from his body. One must do this before the Grinch disappears at midnight on Christmas Eve."

Katie sighed. "It's never easy, is it?"

"From what I have learned from my past few months with you guys.... Definitely not."

Nodding, Katie looked back down at the Book. "Well we better tell Ian, because we do not have much time."

---

"Okay. Don't worry, it will be ready. Yes... Bye Matt." Ian hung up the phone just as his sisters came into the kitchen.

"Who was that you were talking to?" Katie asked.

"No one. Did you guys find anything?"

Kathy nodded. "Yep. He is called The Grinch, steals Christmas spirit from little kids to stay alive, and we have until midnight to vanquish him or he will get away."

A sigh escaped from Ian's mouth. "Never easy...." He sat down at the table and took an apple out of the fruit bowl. "So how do we stop this.... Grouch?"

"Grinch," Katie corrected.

"Whatever. How do we stop him?" Ian took a bite out of the apple and chewed slowly, letting the juices soak in. He had never really liked apples as a kid. Especially apple sauce. But now he savored them. They were great for anytime when you were on the go. And were also good for you, though Ian did not really care if it was or not.

Kathy sat down as well and said, "We have to drain all the spirits that he has stolen from the kids out of his body."

"And how do we do that?"

"You are asking me? I am new at this, remember?"

Katie held up her hand. "Okay, let's just figure this out. Kathy can you—"

"Um... whatever it is... no. I mean, I don't really know all the good potions and spells. So I was thinking that maybe I could go talk to Tobias. I want to find out why he was acting strangely."

"Okay then... Ian—"

"I have to go to the club." Ian finished with the apple, chucked it into the waste basket, and then grabbed a napkin to wipe off his hands with.

"Why?"

"I have to do some more preparing for tonight's party." He averted his eyes while continuing to wipe his hands.

"But... we have a demon on our hands! Am I the only one here with brains at the moment?"

Ian nodded. "Probably. But I will be back soon to help with any spells or anything. If you need me... just orb." He threw away the napkin and headed out of the kitchen. There was a flurry of blue lights in front of him and Katie appeared. "Don't do that!" Ian yelled.

"Well don't do this! Ian, I think that a demon trumps Christmas parties."

Ian saw that there was a lot of anger in his sister's eyes. He guessed that she had not been in a very good mood even before this. "Okay, look, it won't take long. I will be back soon."

"So will I." Kathy came into the foyer, pulling on her winter jacket. "Just as soon as I see what is up with Tobias." She opened the door and went out onto the snowy white steps.

"Wait for me!" Ian went out after her and closed the door, leaving Katie standing there looking furious.

---

"Tobias?!" Kathy knocked on the front door of Tobias's house for the fifth time. "Ugh! Okay... I can try to... sense his mind." She closed her eyes and used her telepathy to do a mind sweep of the house. There was no one home. "Where could he be?!"

---

"Everything looks great," Ian said, locking the doors to King's Corner.

Tobias and Matt nodded. "Thank you for doing this Ian," Matt said. "We both really appreciate it."

"Oh, it's no problem. It looks like this will turn out pretty well."

Matt nodded again. "Well I have to get going. Thanks again!" He then turned and walked off towards his car.

"So," Ian said to Tobias, "have you been able to keep this from Kathy?"

"So far, yes. She almost caught me at the mall, but I was able to escape."

"Good good. Well we better—"

"Tobias! There you are!" The two men turned to see Kathy walking to them from where she had parked her car in the parking lot.

"Kathy," Ian said. "Um... what are you doing here?"

"I was looking for Tobias. And here he is." She looked at Tobias and narrowed her eyes. "You, mister, are hiding something from me."

Tobias swallowed. "Me? Hiding something?"

"Yes. You are hiding something. And..... Oh no."

Ian saw a shiver go through his sister's body. "Kathy? What is it?"

"It's him. He's coming."

"Who?"

"The Grinch."

The air between them shimmered and a demon appeared. He was tall, wore a black trench coat and hat, and looked very old. "Told you that I would be back," he said to Kathy.

"Wait a minute." Ian laughed. "This is the demon that we are after? This is the Grinch? He looks like he is about to croak and die."

The Grinch glanced at Ian and glared. "Who are you?"

"I am her brother." Ian pointed at Kathy. "And we are going to vanquish you."

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"Like this." Ian shot out his hands, expecting the Grinch to explode. But nothing happened. He didn't even flinch.

The Grinch laughed. "I am not that easy to vanquish." He then went for Kathy, his nails growing in to sharp claws.

"No!" Tobias yelled. He ran at the Grinch, but the demon spun and slashed him across the face. Blood splattered onto the cement and Tobias put his hand to the large cut. The Grinch then lifted Tobias off the ground and threw him into the wall of King's Corner.

"Tobias!" Kathy rushed to her boyfriend's side and leaned down next to him.

Ian watched as Kathy healed Tobias and then he looked at the Grinch. "You just made a big mistake." He was about to try using his power again, but the Grinch held up a hand and shook his head.

"Don't bother. I am finished here... for now." He then faded away and was gone.

Ian sighed and dropped his hands to his side. "Is Tobias okay?" He turned to see Kathy helping Tobias up and they both nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But who was that?"

Kathy looked at where the Grinch had been a moment ago. "Someone we have to vanquish. And soon."

---

Bang! Smoke arose from the pot that Katie stood over. She waved her hand and coughed. "I wish that potions wouldn't do that. I'll die of second hand smoke by next year."

She heard the front door close and moments later her two siblings entered the kitchen. "Katie, we need a potion or a spell or... something." Ian saw the pot with the potion in it. "Oh. Never mind then."

"Yeah. While you two have been out doing other things, I have been working. I found a potion in the Book Of Shadows for releasing spirits. And here it is." She extracted some of the potion with a turkey baster and distributed it into three separate bottles.

"Well we were not just doing nothing," Kathy piped up as she sat down at the table. "I went to look for Tobias and then I found him at Ian's club for some reason....."

"And then we got attacked by the Grinch," Ian continued. "My power didn't work against him at all and Tobias got a pretty bad cut."

"Oh, is he okay?" Katie asked, concerned.

Kathy nodded. "Yeah. I healed him and then he said that he had to go take care of 'something.' What that is, I don't know. But at least he should be safe from being attacked. Us on the other hand..." She left that sentence hanging.

"We will be fine," Ian said. "We now have a potion, so let's just go throw it and get this over with."

Katie sighed. She had been worried about this part since she had found the potion in the Book. "Um... it's not going to be that easy. For this potion to work we can't just throw it."

Kathy arched an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Well this one isn't really a potion for extracting spirits from demons since they don't have any. It is usually used in rituals and such. So... somehow we have to get the Grinch to drink the potion."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Ian crossed his arms and sat on one of the kitchen stools.

"I didn't really plan that far ahead. Maybe I can freeze him and then we open his mouth and pour the potion in?"

Ian shook his head. "I don't think that will work. If my power didn't work against him we can't take the chance that your freezing power won't work either."

"Well we have to figure out something!" Kathy looked at both her brother and sister in turn. "We have to vanquish him before midnight or he gets away free. And then he will be back next year. Who knows how powerful he will be then?"

Katie nodded. She knew how Kathy felt. She never liked it when a demon or warlock escaped, even if it was a low level one. The thought of them being able to go around and kill more innocent people was just too much to think about. "Don't worry, Kathy. We'll stop him. How? I don't know. But we will. We always figure out what to do in the end."

"Katie's right," Ian said. "We have been up against way worse and won. I don't doubt that we can do it again this time."

Kathy stood from the table and smiled. "Then let's summon this bastard and vanquish his sorry ass."

---

Kathy wiped her brow and let out a long breath. "Wow, this stuff is heavy."

The three siblings were moving furniture out of the way in the living room so they could summon the Grinch and have some room to fight.

"Well we COULD have used my power of telekinesis to move the couch and chairs, but Ian here has this whole issue about using our powers for personal gain."

"Hey, we are not helpless. We should not have to use our powers to get through our normal lives. Only for our supernatural lives."

"Whatever. But I tell you, I am going to be hurting for days. And I blame you, Ian."

"As long as we are alive long enough for me to be blamed... I won't mind."

Kathy smiled. Even though they might be killed in the next few minutes her brother and sister still had the humor going. And she thought that that is how it should be. If they had always just sat down and cried whenever a demon attacked they would all be dead right now. _Humor can keep you alive,_ Kathy thought.

"Alright, everyone ready?" Ian asked. Katie and Kathy nodded. "Okay then. Let's do this."

The three of them gathered together near the entrance to the room, Ian pulled out the spell, and they began to read. "From heaven to hell, from Spring to Fall, we summon the Grinch, now heed our call."

A cold breeze went through the room and the Grinch appeared in the center. "Hmm... up for another round?" He didn't even seem to be surprised that he had been summoned.

"Yeah. We are." Ian nodded to Katie. "Try it."

Katie clenched her fists and then opened them, releasing her freezing power. The Grinch slowed for barely a second and then returned to normal. "Uh oh...."

A rotten toothed grin spread across the demon's face. "Oh, I really do love your parlor tricks. Please, try some more."

"I will do more than that," Ian said. He then shot up into the air, hovered for a split second, and landed a hard kick right across the Grinch's face. The demon stumbled back and tripped over a chair. Ian landed softly on the carpet and smiled. "I guess sometimes a good kick is better than magic powers."

Kathy chuckled slightly. Her brother was right. At the moment his kick was stronger than his power. But a few "hiya" moves would not win them this fight. But there had to be a way to stop this guy. There just had to be. She pulled out her bottle of the spirit releasing potion and stared at it. There had to be some way to get it inside the demon.

The Grinch got to his feet. "You will pay for that." He then saw the potion in Kathy's hand. "A vanquish? For me? How nice of you. But it won't do you any good!"

And before Kathy could do anything, the Grinch was right in front of her. He smacked the bottle out of her hand and it smashed on the floor, spilling its contents. He was about to grab her by the throat, but Kathy pulled back her arm and punched the demon in the jaw, making him reel backward. "Ouch," she said, rubbing her now bruised hand.

"There is no way to stop me!" the Grinch yelled. "You may give me a few cuts and bruises, but your potion is now on the floor, useless!" He opened his mouth wide and laughed loudly.

Kathy glanced from the potion on the floor to the Grinch, who was laughing his head off. "Katie! The potion!" She made a waving motion with her hand, hoping that her sister would get it.

Katie looked confused for a moment and then realization came to her face. She pointed her hand at the potion puddle and then swung her arm at the demon. The potion flew off the floor on directly into the Grinch's mouth.

He instantly stopped laughing and gulped. His skin began to writhe and then he let out a piercing scream. White wisps of some weird smoke flew out of his mouth and went up and out the chimney. The three siblings then watched as the Grinch got older and older. His hair grew long and his skin wrinkled up even more than it had been to start with. Then, with one last groan of pain, the Grinch disintegrated before their eyes. And the ashes that were left over disappeared in a puff of smoke and were gone.

"Wow," Ian said. "I have never seen a demon go out like that."

Katie nodded. "But we never would have stopped him if Kathy here had not told me to use telekinesis to throw the potion into his mouth."

Kathy blushed. "Well you guys would have thought of something."

"Maybe," Ian said. "But you thought of something first." He glanced at his watch and his eyes widened. "Sheesh, time flies when you are vanquishing demons. You guys, go get ready for the party. Go go. Now."

The two sisters ran off up the stairs as Ian shooed them some more. "We're going, we're going!" they yelled in unison.

---

Katie and Kathy came down the stairs about thirty minutes later, dressed and ready to head out. Katie wore a long, light blue dress with thin shoulder straps and a belt of white roses. Her long brunette hair came up into a bun tied with a shining ribbon.

Kathy, on the other hand, wore a short black skirt, red satin shirt, and a pearl necklace adorned her neck. Her blonde hair fell in curls around her shoulders and shimmered when the light hit it.

The two stepped off the stairs into the foyer and saw Ian standing by the door. He was still dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. "Wow, you guys look great."

"Thanks," Katie said, but her mouth was twisted into a frown. "Why aren't you ready?"

"Oh, well I have to take care of some work first. Get it done so I can enjoy the holidays, you know? So you two go ahead."

The sisters glanced at one another but nodded and went for the double doors. They did not notice Ian flick the switch for the porch light. And when Kathy reached for the brass knob the doors opened from the outside.

Standing there, dressed in identical tuxedos, were Matt and Tobias. Each held a smile on their face. "Good evening ladies," Tobias said.

"We are your escorts to the party." Matt held out his hand and Katie took it. Tobias and Kathy did the same.

"Tobias," Kathy said, "What are you two.... Oh my." She had just seen the black limo that sat at the curb, a chauffeur holding open the door.

"What is this all about?" Katie looked up at Matt, but he just grinned.

Ian waved. "Bye! Have fun!" He then closed the door and locked it.

"Come on. Let's go." Tobias and Kathy took the lead and Matt and Katie followed from behind. They all got into the limo and it pulled away a moment later.

---

"Why is it so dark in here?" Katie asked as she and Kathy were led into a darkened King's Corner. "And where is everyone? I thought this was supposed to be a party."

A switch was hit and the place lit up. Shining Christmas lights were hung around the walls. Several trees glowed softly in the corners. And two tables sat in the center, covered with white cloths, large amounts of food, and single candles sat in the middle.

"It is," Matt said, still grinning. "But there are only four people on the list."

"Did you guys plan all this yourselves?" Kathy asked, looking around the room, astonishment in her eyes.

"Well....." Tobias spoke up. "Ian helped. A little."

"A lot actually," Matt corrected.

The four of them sat down, each couple at their own table. Tobias took out a small red box and handed it to Kathy. She quickly opened it and pulled out a locket. On it were the letters T and K with a golden heart in-between them. "Tobias... it's beautiful."

"I thought you might like it." He smiled and then leaned over, giving Kathy a kiss.

Katie looked at Matt. "And where is my present?" Matt pulled a single key out of his pocket and handed it to Katie. She stared down at it. "A key? To... a new car?"

Matt laughed. "No. It is the key... to our suite at the Metropolitan Hotel in the heart of Manhattan. Where we will spend a romantic night alone, along with champagne, strawberries, and more presents for you."

Katie gasped. "Matt... oh, thank you so much!"

The four sat there for several hours. Talking, laughing, and dancing to beautiful music. It was, indeed, a Merry Christmas.


	30. Forbidden Love

A/N: Ian wrote this one. Again. Talk about huge time jumps, though.

Reviewers, thank you so much! And also, sorry I haven't said anything to any of you.So basically this is the time to reply tomost of you. Just skip ahead if you couldn't care less.

_To the guys_ who just said you loved it (etc),Ian, AK, and I are glad you do!

_To the guys_ who asked questions which are already answered, voilà!

_Zell Helliwell:_ We're already working on that character, but he won't be shown for a while.

_Justin Word:_ I admit, Ian's character does kinda copy from Charmed, as does some of the otherstuff. But it happens.(To be fair, don't most real-life Wiccans have a BoS?)Thanks for the compliment.

_Pixie Pain:_ Yay! ...Go to bed... :-P

_Dr. Magic:_ You have no idea how happy I am to hear that we're not the only spin-offys in this fandom. Granted, I never really searched, but whatever. Took a peak at your story, and it looks quite good. But I haven't really had time to read it, sorry.

_Wyatt:_ Eventually, we'll take a look into the future... dun dun dunnnn

Okay, I think that's most of you. Sorry if you weren't included... That finished, onto the episode!

* * *

**Episode 2.5: Forbidden Love**

Ian King walked into The Central newspaper bureau and made his way towards the stairs. People all around him were rosy cheeked, winking at each other, and smiling a whole lot. And Ian had no idea why.

He got up to his office, went in, and closed the door behind him. Jane, his secretary, sat in his desk chair. "Hey Jane. Um, do you know what is up with everyone today? I swear I saw about ten people making love eyes at one another."

Jane smiled, her pearly whites flashing. "Because, Ian, it is Valentines day."

"Oh! Valentines day... yes. I totally forgot. I guess I have just been so caught up in work that it slipped my mind."

_More like I didn't have anyone special of my own to remind me,_ he thought.

Jane stood up and came over to Ian. In her hand was a red envelope that had a heart shaped seal. "Well, this was in your mail box. I didn't know that you were in a relationship."

Ian eyed the envelope. "I'm not." He took the envelope from Jane and began to open it.

"Oh, a secret admirer then maybe?"

"You think so?"

"Well read it and see."

Ian pulled out the letter and read it out loud. "Love burns deeply in my heart. I have so much wanted to make a start. I see you here, I see you there. A connection we do share. Since the time you broke this letter's seal, the time draws closer for me to reveal. At the end of this day of bliss, we will share true loves first kiss."

"Whoever it is, that person is quite the poet. And loves to rhyme."

Ian put the letter back in its envelope and went over to the door. He opened it and stuck his head out, looking from side to side. There was no one watching his office. Ian shut the door and turned back to Jane. "Who do you think it could be?" he asked.

"I don't know. But it seems that you will find out tonight. 'At the end of this day of bliss, we will share true loves first kiss.' She sure does seem sure of herself. But I have to get back to my work, so I will see you later. And I want to know who this woman is as soon as you know." Jane smiled again and then left.

"And I want to know who it is right now."

---

"A Hershey's Kiss, two rose petals, and a drop of this lovely perfume, Obsession." An Enchantress sat in the penthouse of a tall apartment building. A book of spells sat on the table in front of her along with a small cauldron. A magical flame burned blue under the cauldron. It had been enchanted so as not to burn the table.

The Enchantress stirred her potion and looked back at the book. The title read "How To Make A Mortal Fall In Love With You" and was followed by instructions for making a love potion.

There was a sizzling sound and then smoke arose from the cauldron. The Enchantress smiled. "Now that my potion is done I need to find a mortal in this city to use it on." She picked up a glass ball and blew on it. Pink smoke formed inside the ball and hovered there. "Find me someone.... Rich. Someone charming and handsome. Blue eyes... blonde hair... nice smile. Has to be—" She stopped when the smoke began to clear and an image began to form. "Yes... show me. Show me my soon-to-be love." The image became a face. And it was the face of Katie's boyfriend, Matt.

---

"Katie, these were brought for you."

Katie looked up from her desk, which was piled with paperwork, to see one of her co-workers holding a bouquet of roses. She grinned and quickly took them. "Now I wonder who these could be from..."

"Well the card says that they are from someone named Matt, who I am assuming is—"

"Sara? I know who they are from. I was being rhetorical."

"Oh." Sara smiled. "Sorry, I am just a little... off right now."

"Why?" Katie asked, setting the roses aside. "Something wrong?"

Sara's smile faded and her eyes began to fill with tears. "It's just... last year, on this day, my boyfriend died. I haven't been with anyone since. And seeing everyone so happy and in love just brings back horrible memories." Tears dripped down her face and she took a Kleenex out of her pocket to blow her nose with.

"Oh, Sara. I am so sorry." Katie got up, went around the desk, and gave Sara a hug. "It's gonna be okay. I know what it is like to be taken away from your love, or your love taken away from you." Katie sat back down and smiled at Sara. "Hey, you know what? When my lunch break comes up we can go out together. Just us girls."

"But... don't you want to spend that time with Matt?"

"We will be doing something tonight. It's perfectly fine."

Sara blew her nose again and gave a weak smile. "Okay. Thank you, Katie."

"Anytime."

---

"Knock knock." Tobias came into Kathy's office and gave her a kiss. "Happy Valentines day."

Kathy grinned. "Thank you.... Hey, whatcha got there?"

Tobias took the thing he was holding behind his back and set it down on Kathy's desk. "The Valentines Day issue of the magazine. And your dress is in it."

Kathy gasped. "Really?! What page?" She grabbed the magazine and started flipping through the pages.

"Page twenty-five with Gwen Love modeling. Kinda ironic, don't you think?"

"What? They put that tramp in my dress?" Kathy stopped on the right page and moaned. "Oh man... it looks horrible on her! Who was the one who decided that she should model it?"

"Tony," Tobias said.

"Well he made a mistake. Does he not see that her skin tone and hair color do not go with the color and texture of the dress? Ugh, this is horrible!"

"Why? One of your dresses got into the magazine. The Valentine issue. It is a wonderful dress and many women will be craving to buy it. And when someone asks who it was designed by they will say Kathy Hughes."

Kathy looked up at Tobias. "You're right. It makes no difference who is modeling it. All that matters is how the dress looks."

"And it is beautiful. Just like you."

Kathy smiled and pulled Tobias into a kiss. After a moment she broke it and looked into Tobias's eyes. "I love you."

He grinned. "I love you too."

---

"So you got my roses?" Matt sat in his office, talking to Katie on the phone.

"Yes. They were beautiful."

"Good, I'm glad you liked them. Now, I was wondering if you would like to meet me for lunch."

"Sorry Matt, I can't. My friend Sara is having a bad day and I told her that we could go to lunch together."

Matt frowned. "Okay, well that's fine."

"Are we still on for tonight?"

"Of course. I'll see you tonight then."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye." Matt hung up the phone and sighed. He was about to make another call when a cloud of pink smoke began to form in the center of the room. A moment later the Enchantress appeared, potion in hand. "What the?! Who are you?"

"Your true love." She threw the potion and it hit Matt in the chest, creating a flash of red light. "Now, how do you feel?"

Matt had a confused expression on his face, but it faded. "I feel fine."

"And do you love me?"

"More than anyone else in the world."

The Enchantress smiled. "Then come here and kiss me."

Matt stood from his chair and made his way over to the Enchantress. They wrapped their arms around each other and their lips met in a kiss so passionate that if Aphrodite had seen it she would have blushed.

---

Ian opened his office door and peeked through it. The hall was empty except for Steve, the janitor. Ian went out and walked down the hall towards the break room. He had been hiding out in his office all morning so as to avoid his secret admirer.

Someone touched his shoulder and Ian spun around and pulled back his fist, ready to let loose a jaw-breaking punch. But his "attacker" was only Jane. "Ian? What is up with you? Are you okay?"

Ian dropped his arm to his side and nodded. "Yeah. Sorry Jane, I am just a little freaked about that letter. And more importantly, about who wrote it."

Jane flashed a smile. "Oh come on. Don't tell me you are scared about all this. I thought that you were tough."

"I am! I fight and kill de—" Jane frowned. "—Kill deadlines everyday. Yeah... see what I did there? Kill. Deadlines. Get it?"

"Riiight. Well I am just here to give you this file that you asked for me to find yesterday." She handed it to him and then walked away.

"Thanks! Sorry about almost punching your lights out!" Ian sighed and then quickly made his way back to his office.

---

Kathy and Tobias walked hand in hand down the sidewalk of down town New York City. It was their lunch break and they decided that after a quick bite to eat they would go for a walk.

"Well, it's not Central Park," Kathy said. "But... at least I'm with my favorite person in the world."

Tobias laughed. "Really, I'm your favorite person?"

"You know it." They were about to kiss when Kathy saw something that shocked her. "Oh my god..."

"What?" Tobias asked.

Kathy pointed at two people that were walking in their direction. It was Matt, and he had his arm around a stunning woman. She had long and silky black hair. And her eyes... Kathy was shocked, but the woman's eyes were pink. "What is Matt doing with another woman??"

"Um... Maybe it is his sister." Matt and the woman then stopped walking, turned to each other, and kissed one another full on the lips. "Oh. Maybe not."

"That... bastard! I am going to put a stop to this." Kathy peeled away from Tobias and made her way up to the "couple." She cleared her throat, but to no avail. "Uh... excuse me?" Nothing. "Hello? .....HEY!" The two broke apart and looked startled. "Thank you. Now, hey, Matt. Hi. What are you doing?"

"Um... do I know you?"

Kathy frowned. "Yes... I'm Katie's sister. You know... _Katie_."

Matt shook his head. "I don't know a Katie."

_Weird,_ Kathy thought. She tried to use her telepathy to get a read on what Matt was thinking, but she got nothing.

"Miss?" the woman said. Kathy looked at her. "Hi... you are starting to bother us. And we have no idea what you are talking about. So please. Go away." As she said those last two words the air seemed to ripple.

Kathy stepped back, suddenly dizzy. Her vision was blurring and she couldn't call on the strength to keep standing. She fell but Tobias caught her in his arms.

"You okay?" he asked.

Kathy blinked. The dizziness and the blur in her eyes were gone. "Um... yeah." She looked around. "Where did they go?"

"They left."

"What? You let them get away?! Ugh, okay. I have to find Katie and talk to her. You go back to work. Cover for me. I'll see you later." She then ran off to find her sister.

---

"He... he was the best thing that ever happened to me!" Sara blew her nose with what seemed like her thirtieth Kleenex and threw it in the trash that sat next to her. A sympathetic waiter had brought it over. Either that or he just didn't want snotty Kleenexes on the table.

Katie sat across from Sara, staring into her cup of herbal tea. _Oh, what have I gotten myself into?_ she thought.

"Katie?"

Katie looked up, startled. "Hmm?! Oh, sorry Sara. What is it?"

"Do you think I will ever find anyone to love ever again?"

"Oh yeah. I am sure of it," Katie said, nodding her head. "I mean, you know, there are plenty of fish in the sea."

At this Sara burst into tears again. "That's how my boyfriend died! He was fishing and the boat capsized, and he drowned!"

"Oh boy," Katie whispered. "This tea is not going to be enough. I need a margarita. Waiter!" Just then there came a tapping sound. Katie looked over at the glass window that the two sat next to in the front of the restaurant. And there stood Kathy, tapping on the glass and looking like she had some urgent news. "What the hell?" Katie glanced back at Sara who was crying into her napkin. "Uh, Sara? I'll be right back." She then ran out of the restaurant to meet Kathy. "What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"I have to tell you something and you are not going to like it."

"Oh no. It's a demon, isn't it? Can't we get a fricken' day off around here? I mean, come on! How could—"

Kathy put a hand over Katie's mouth. "It's not a demon."

Katie grabbed her sister's hand and pulled it down, obviously annoyed. "Then what is it?"

Kathy drew in a deep breath. "I think Matt is cheating on you."

"What?"

"I know. It's hard to believe, but I saw him. He was with—"

"No. That is not possible. Matt loves me. And I love him. He wouldn't do this. And it is Valentines day, for god sakes!"

"But," Kathy protested.

Yet Katie cut her off with a glaring look. "No. No buts. I am telling you that Matt is not cheating on me. Now will people please stop trying to ruin my day?!" Katie then turned on her heel and went back into the restaurant. When she sat down Sara just kept crying into her napkin, not looking up at Katie. Katie sighed and then looked down at her cup of herbal tea. "Waiter! Where's that margarita?!"

---

"Velvet Chain set up yesterday, Beth. And they should be there at the club soon to do a sound check." Ian sat at his office desk, talking to Beth on his cell phone and typing his article at the same time. "If there are any microphone or any other technical problems then just call James. He should be able to fix whatever is wrong, or just tell you what to do by step-by-step process."

"Okay. You are going to be here tonight, right? I don't think I would be able to handle taking care of the club on a band night. Not to mention that it is Valentines day. And I want to spend a little time with my boyfriend tonight so..."

"Don't worry," Ian said. "I will be there. I have no other pressing matters to attend to...." He glanced at the red envelope that sat there on the desk. "Nothing at all."  
"Alright. Thank you, Ian. See you tonight!"

"Bye." Ian hung up his cell and stopped typing for a moment. He looked at the envelope. A smile came over his face. "Maybe I can find out who my secret admirer is right now. With a little magical help of course." He picked the envelope up and closed his eyes, willing himself to get a vision of who the letter had been from.

"Ian?"

Ian opened his eyes. Kathy stood in front of his desk. "Oh, hi."

"Hi... what were you doing?"

He sighed and set down the envelope. "I _was_ trying to get a vision of who gave this letter to me. But I was interrupted."

Kathy rolled her eyes. "Look, we have bigger problems. I think that Matt is cheating on Kate. And I tried to tell her, but she pretty much said that I am wrong and to butt out. But I am pretty sure that something is going on."

Ian frowned. "Oh, I hope that isn't true. I mean, not that I don't believe you, but I thought that Matt was a nice guy. He and Katie seemed to click."

"I know. But I saw what I saw. He was with another girl and they kissed. And I mean they _really_ kissed."

"Oh. Well what do you think we should do about it?"

Kathy shrugged and sat down. "I don't know. But what is really weird is that... I think there is something different about the girl Matt was with. Her eyes were pink."

Raising an eyebrow , Ian said, "Pink eyes? Well those could just have been contacts."

"Yeah, okay.... But she said 'Go away', and when she said that I got all dizzy. And I also couldn't get a telepathy read on Matt."

"But Kathy, that doesn't mean anything. You are still new at working with your powers. So not getting a read on Matt might not mean that your power was blocked. And you could have gotten dizzy from something you ate. We can't jump to conclusions here. Especially when it comes to love."

Kathy glared at her brother. "Are you all against me? I just want to help Katie and she gets all mad at me. Then when I come to you for support you just blow off everything I say!"

"I am not blowing off everything you say. But I have been at this longer than you. You have to learn that not everyone is a demon. Some people are just creeps, or jerks, or crazy lunatics. That is how the world is. And my advice to us both is that we should stay out of this one. Let Katie come to her own conclusions. Allow her to talk to Matt on her own."

"Fine," Kathy said, standing up. "A lot of help you are." She then left as Ian sighed and went back to writing his article.

---

"I can't believe this!" The Enchantress grabbed a vase off a table and threw it into the wall. After getting away from Kathy, she and Matt had gone back to her penthouse. "Witches are on to me. Witches!" She rubbed her face and sat heavily in a chair.  
"What is the problem?" the manipulated Matt asked. He stood near the door, looking clueless.

"I sensed power in this witch. Great power. I also sensed that she is connected with two others of great power. Siblings, I assume. And I do not have the power at the moment to stop them."

"What do you mean "at the moment"?" Matt questioned.

The Enchantress stood up and went over to a large wooden cupboard. "I mean that I will have the power soon enough." She opened the cupboard, which was filled with many potion bottles and jars filled with ingredients, and pulled out one bottle that held a dark blue liquid. "With this potion I will be able to steal the powers of a demon. One with enough power to take the witches out."

"How does it work?"

The Enchantress turned to her pawn and smiled. "I will summon a demon, he will drink this potion, his powers will be released from his body, and they will be mine."  
"But how will you get him to drink the potion?"

"You'll see." She set the potion on the table, closed her eyes, and began to whisper a spell. A moment later a demon dressed in filthy rag like clothes appeared. "Hmm.... not exactly what I was hoping for."

"Who are you? Why did you summon me?!" The demon growled and bared his yellowed teeth.

"I will be asking the questions. Now, demon, what powers do you have?"

"I can throw fireballs. Wanna see?"

"That will not be necessary." She picked up the potion and held it out to him. "With this I can make your powers grow. All you have to do is drink it."

"Why should I trust you?" The demon sneered.

The Enchantress tilted her head and smiled, which made the demon's heart melt. "Why shouldn't you?"

"Well.... Alright. If it makes you happy." He took the bottle, opened it, and drank the potion. A second later he groaned in pain. "This is trickery! AGH!" A shadowy mist escaped his mouth and entered the Enchantress.

"Yes. It is.... Now, let's see what this fireball power can do." She held out her hand and a ball of fire formed in her palm. She then whipped it at the demon, causing him to burst into flames and explode. "Wonderful. But it might not be enough to stop the witches." She went over and opened her cupboard again. "I need more."

---

Kathy slammed the door on her way into the manor and stomped up the stairs. "Why don't they believe me? I bet it is because I am new to this family. They have known each other for their whole lives and have only known me since last fall." She entered the attic and went over to the Book Of Shadows. "But I know I am right. Something strange is going on. And the source is that girl that Matt was with. If my thoughts are right, she should be in here."

Kathy opened the Book and paged through it. After several minutes she found what she was looking for. "I knew it! Now what does this say? ... A powerful Enchantress of love that uses her vast knowledge of potions and spells to try and find a love to satisfy her. Yet when she grows weary of her mate she kills him and moves on to find another." Kathy raised her eyebrows. "Wow. She has major relationship problems. I just hope there is a vanquishing potion..." She looked at the bottom of the page and smiled. "Oh good. Lucky for me, unlucky for the Enchantress."

She quickly took out her cell phone and dialed Ian's number. Two rings later he answered. "Hello?"

"Hi. It's Kathy. And guess what, Mr. Doubtful? I was right. Matt's new lady is an Enchantress."

"So Matt wasn't cheating after all..."

"Nope. And I was right that something was up. And neither of you listened."

"Okay, Kath? I get the picture. Is there a vanquish?"

"Yep. Vanquishing potion is right here in the Book."

"Alright, I'll call Katie. We'll meet you back at the manor. Can you get started on that potion?"

"Can do," Kathy said.

"Okay, bye."

"Bye." She hung up, hefted the Book into her arms, and then started down the stairs.

---

"All right," Ian said. "Are we ready?" The three siblings were in the kitchen; Ian sitting on a stool, Katie in a chair, and Kathy stood at the stove.

"Well we have one bottle of potion set. All we need is two more...." She handed the readied potion to Ian and then went to the cupboard to get more bottles. Yet the three of them were suddenly engulfed in white light and transported to the Enchantress's pent house. "What the?! Where are we?" Kathy looked around and spotted the Enchantress, with Matt at her side.

"Matt!" Katie yelled. "Matt, you are under her spell. You don't love her. You love me.... don't you?"

"I don't even know who you are. All I know is that you are a witch. And that witches must be killed."

"And don't worry, my love," said the Enchantress, speaking up. "I will get rid of them."

Ian snorted. "You wish." He then hurled the potion at the Enchantress. It spun through the air towards her, but she narrowed her eyes and white hot energy beams shot out and vaporized the potion bottle. "Uh oh...."

The Enchantress smiled. "Uh oh is right." She held up her right hand and a ball of fire appeared in her palm. She then held up her left hand and conjured an energy ball. The Enchantress flung them at the siblings.

"Look out!" Ian pulled his sisters to the floor and behind a large couch. "Okay, does anyone have a plan?"

"You don't?" Kathy hissed. "You always have a plan!"

"Well not this time."

Katie hit Ian lightly on the arm. "Just blow her up."

"I'll try." Ian drew in a breath and then stood up. Instantly, he was blasted back by an energy ball and flung back into the wall. Ian dropped to the carpeted floor, unconscious, and not breathing.

"Oh my god, Kathy help him," Katie said. She then stood up as Kathy hurried over to Ian and began to heal him. Katie walked around the couch until she stood just seven feet away from the Enchantress. "Come on," she said. "Give me your best shot."

"Be careful what you wish for..." The Enchantress conjured a fireball and bounced it in her hand. "... Because you might just get it!" She shot the fireball at Katie, who raised her hand up in front of her. Before the fireball could hit her it slowed and then flew back and hit the Enchantress in the chest. "No!" she screamed, just before she burst into flames and exploded.

"Tramp." Katie looked at Matt, who was bent over a little and rubbing his eyes, and froze him. She turned to Ian who had just finished being healed by Kathy. "Hey, bro. You okay?"

Ian nodded. "Yeah. Good work with the Enchantress."

"All in a days work."

"So what do we do with him?" Kathy asked, pointing at the frozen Matt.

"I am going to orb him back to his office and say that I found him asleep in his chair," Katie replied.

"Ah, an original excuse," Ian said with a smile. "Well I have to finish things up at the office. Will I see you two at the club later? Velvet Chain is playing."

Katie shook her head. "I have plans with Matt."

"Kathy?"

"Tobias and I will be there for a bit."

"Okay. Well, Kathy, we better go grab a cab home so that I can get my car and you can get ready for tonight. Matt won't stay frozen like that for long." The two then left as Katie took Matt's arm and orbed them out.

---

Ian was packing up his stuff in his office when he noticed something. "Oh, crap. I forgot to give this file to Jane. And she is gone now...." He thought for a moment. "Well I know where she lives. I'll just drop it off on my way home." Ian then quickly finished up and left the building, making his way to his car.

About ten minutes later he stood at the door to Jane's apartment room. He knocked and waited, but there was no answer. Ian tried the knob; it was unlocked. He opened the door and slipped inside. "Hello? Jane? Are you here?" The lights were on and Ian could hear a running shower coming from the back of the apartment.

He made his way to the back and was about to knock on the bathroom door when a flickering caught his eye. Ian turned and stepped into a bedroom that was lit only by candle light. "Oh my god," he said, looking around. On the walls were every column he had ever written. And his picture was also everywhere, with hearts surrounding every one of them.

There was a noise behind him and Ian spun around to see Jane standing there with a towel wrapped around herself. "Ian? What are you doing here?"

"I... Um... I came to drop off a file that I forgot to give you." He then indicated the room's "decorations". "Uh... what's all this, if I may ask?"

"Oh, Ian. I was going to tell you tonight. I love you."

Ian's mind recoiled. "What?"

"I love you. I am the one that wrote that letter."

"Whoa... hold up here. You love me? But you haven't even been on a date with me. You never even indicated any feelings towards me."

Jane shrugged. "I didn't want to scare you away."

"Well you are doing a good job of that now. And... what is with all the pictures? And the columns?" He then saw that her arm had a tattoo saying "I Love Ian King". His eyes widened. "And that tattoo! Jane... are you obsessed with me?"

"Yeah. What is so wrong with that?"

"Um..." Ian shook his head. "I... I have to go." He started to walk past Jane but she grabbed his arm.

"But you can't leave. We have to begin our magical night together."

"Oh no we don't," Ian said. He pulled away and walked quickly towards the front door.

Jane suddenly ran up and blocked his way. "You can't leave. I won't let you. I need you. You are the one I am meant to be with!"

"And you are insane." Ian then pushed Jane aside and left, shutting the door behind him.

---

"I can't believe I slept that long," Matt said as he and Katie entered a restaurant called Fredrick's. "And I really can't believe that my secretary _let_ me sleep that long."

"Well it is nothing to worry about now. Tonight is our night," Katie said, leaning in and giving Matt a kiss. "Now I will be right back. Nature calls." Matt smiled and Katie hurried off to the bathroom.

When she came out she saw Matt standing with a woman with flaming red hair. She was laughing. "I thought you said you were working tonight," she said.

"I am. This is a business dinner."

"Well I better give you some good luck." The woman then kissed Matt full on the lips, and he didn't stop her.

"Hey!" Katie yelled.

Matt broke out of the kiss. "Oh... Kate. You're back."

"Yeah. Now who is she?"

The red head smiled. "I'm his girlfriend. Who are you?"

Katie glared. "_I'm_ his girlfriend."

Matt held up his hand. "I can explain."

"Explain this!" Katie pulled back her arm and then punched Matt right across the face. She then turned and stormed out of the restaurant.

Matt looked at his other girlfriend. "Uh..." Before he could say anything more the woman slapped him and walked out. "Damn, today is just not my day."

---

"Baby, baby, I know - It's always been so, Physical love is oh so meaningful for you. You write love letters to me - strong. You know how to talk to me - so strong. Baby, I'm yours - you know. Because you're so, so strong."

As Velvet Chain continued to play, Ian turned in his seat to look over at Kathy and Tobias. The two were lost in their own world, making out like it was their last day on Earth. Ian was about to say something when Katie sat down next to him. "Hey. What are you doing here? I thought you were with Matt."

"I was," Katie said. "But it so seems that the cheating bastard he was when he was under that spell is really who he is."

"Oh, Katie. I'm so sorry."

Katie shrugged. "It's okay. He just wasn't the right one." She glanced over at Kathy and Tobias. "So... did you find out who sent you that love note?"

"I did..." Ian said slowly.

"And? Who was it?"

"It was Jane. I went to her apartment to drop off a file and I found out."

Katie smiled. "So are you going to go out with her?"

Ian shook his head. "Nope."

The smile faded. "Why not?"

"Because she is... obsessed with me."

"What?"

Ian nodded. "It's true. She has pictures of me all over her walls, she has a tattoo that says she loves me on her arm, and she even admitted that she was obsessed."

"Oh. So... what are you going to do?"

"I can't work with Jane knowing all this... So I am going to ask Derek tomorrow to find me a new secretary."

Katie sighed. "Well I guess we are all outta luck."

"Except those two," Ian said, nodding towards their sister and Tobias.

They then stopped and Kathy looked over. "Oh, hey guys. Um, we are gonna go." She and Tobias stood up. "The band is great, Ian, but we are going to go have ourselves a romantic dinner."

"Okay. Have fun." Kathy nodded and then pulled Tobias away. Ian sighed. "We'll find people. We are not that hopeless." Katie stared at him and Ian looked back to the band. "I hope...."


	31. Captured

A/N: Okay, this is kinda weird. Ian wrote this... but he didn't. The first version sucked massively, so he totally rewrote it. And here I thought he was just going to edit the first one. Anyway, kudos to Ian.

_Thanks, Hazza!_

* * *

**Episode 2.6: Captured**

Wood splintered and glass shattered as Ian and Katie were thrown through the French doors of the sun room. Both landed on the walk in the backyard with a painful grunt. Ian pushed himself up to a sitting position. "Damn warlock," he muttered, aiming and throwing open his hands at the warlock who was standing in the sun room. Yet the Warlock blinked out and all Ian's power did was blast a large hole into the wall.

"Good job," Katie said sarcastically.

The two then got up and ran back into the house. The warlock had reappeared in the foyer, just as Kathy came walking in through the front door. "I'm ho- Whoa!" Kathy ducked as the warlock swung at her with his athame. She ran past him and then turned back, summoning up her power of astral projection. But just as she felt it coming on, Kathy's head erupted with pain.

With Kathy now distracted, the warlock came at her with the athame and swung at her again just as Ian and Katie ran into the room, Ian throwing up his hands. The warlock reeled back and exploded into black shards, which disappeared in tiny puffs of smoke as they hit the floor.

"You okay, Kath?" Katie asked, going over to her sister.

Kathy was holding her head in pain. "Yeah, it's just these damn headaches that I have been having for the past few days. They are just so intense and painful. And Advil doesn't help."

"Maybe you should see a doctor," Ian suggested.

"I don't know... That would cost way too much money just to go in because I have headaches." Kathy dropped her hands to her sides. "It's gone now."

The phone started ringing and Ian picked up the cordless from the foyer table. "Hello? Oh, hey Mrs. Hangress... Oh, the loud crash? Um, that... yeah, we were doing some heavy lifting, bringing some new... yard furniture into the backyard and we got tripped up. ...Yes, I know you have two young children that are trying to sleep and I know it's late... Really? Isn't that a little extreme? ...Okay, all right. Yes, goodnight Mrs. Hangress." Ian hung up the phone with a sigh.

"Who's Mrs. Hangress?" Kathy asked.

"Neighbor of ours," Katie answered. "What did she say?"

"Well she was calling about the loud crashes coming from over here. I couldn't really tell her we were fighting a warlock, so I made something up. Yet she didn't really seem to believe me."

"What was the extreme part?"

"She said that she and some of the other neighbors have been talking about all the loud noises that come from here all the time and that if it keeps happening they are going to get some cops over here to check the place out."

"Oh," Kathy said. "Yeah, that's bad."

Ian nodded. "Which means that we have to be... more careful somehow."

"How?" Katie inquired, sarcasm building in her voice. "Tell the demons that they can try to kill us, but just to do it quietly?"

"I don't know," Ian said with a shake of his head. "But we just have to be careful."

"Man, being a witch is so complicated," Kathy said.

Katie blinked. "You've been a witch your whole life. Well, so have we, but our powers were dormant for a long time. But you... wouldn't you have figured out it was complicated a long time ago?"

"Well, I never really used my powers. I just wanted to be normal. Even after I met Tobias and found out he was a witch as well we only fought demons a couple of times. We both just wanted to go on with our work and our lives. But now... I'm with you guys and there are demons all the time. And keeping the secret is so much harder now."

"It is hard sometimes," Ian said. "But we manage. Now we better get that debris cleaned up before anyone sees it. I don't think my alibi will hold up if someone does."

"Sorry," Kathy said, "but I have a date with Tobias. He's going to pick me up soon so I have to go get ready."

"But—" Ian began, but Katie stopped him.

"No, it's fine. We can clean it up ourselves. Go and get ready."

Kathy nodded. "Thanks." She then ran off up the stairs to her room.

"Why did you let her go?"

"Because, Ian, we just met her not too long ago. And we can't be all controlling. We need to give her some freedom." Katie then grinned. "Plus, by doing that it made me look like the good sibling and you the bad."

"Evil."

"Totally." The two linked arms and walked back towards the sun room. "So you want to go see a late night movie after we clean up?"

"Sure. But nothing with killing or maiming or anything." Ian thought for a moment. "Strange to say, but I wouldn't turn down a chick flick."

"Oh, please, you know I don't like those. The mushy stuff is just not my style."

"Okay, comedy it is."

"Damn straight," Katie said with a laugh.

-

"Okay, I didn't get most of those jokes," Ian said. He and Katie had just left the movie theater and were walking down a mostly empty street.

"Neither did I. Whoever wrote the review that we read for that movie obviously had a strange sense of humor."

Ian nodded. "So, not the best two hours of my life."

"Popcorn was good though."

"Yeah, better than most movie theater popcorns. Usually they have way too much butter. At least they allow you to put on your own salt. Otherwise—" Ian's sentence was suddenly cut short when something large and hairy leaped from an alleyway and tackled him to the pavement.

"Hey!" Katie yelled, whipping her arm, throwing the creature off Ian with her telekinesis.

Ian scrambled to his feet as the creature came at him again. It was large and covered in gray, mangy fur. It's eyes were a dark yellow and it had a long snout and a mouth full of sharp teeth. It looked like a wolf, but was bigger and stood on two legs instead of four. Ian swipe kicked it across it's snout as the creature attacked him. It seemed to barely have any effect on the creature, so Ian kicked it again, this time in the chest and with more force. The creature stumbled back, but just snarled and went to attack again.

"I'll handle this," Katie said, stepping forward and swinging her arm. The creature was telekinetically thrown back into the alley and landed with a loud thud. Yet still the creature got back to its feet. It snarled some more and looked like it was going to attack again, but it then turned and ran out the other end of the alley and around the corner. The two siblings ran after it, but when they reached the other side the creature was no where in sight.

"We have to call Kathy," Ian said, pulling out his cell phone. After a few rings his sister picked up. "Kath, it's Ian. We just got attacked by some kind of... dog like thing."

"Oh my god," Kathy said over the phone. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. It ran away and now we can't find it. The thing was definitely of the supernatural. I'm thinking we go home and look through the Book of Shadows."

"Ian, I'm on a date."

"But Kathy, it could be a demon."

"Look, you guys are just going to do some research, right? So you don't need me for that. I'll be home later and you can fill me in and we will deal with it then. Okay? Now I have to go. Bye." There was a small click as the line was cut.

Ian sighed as he put away his phone. "She's not coming. I guess we'll have to figure this out ourselves for now."

"Okay then. Let's get going." The two then went into the alley, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and then Katie orbed them out of there and to home.

-

"Werewolf," Katie said, slapping her hand on the Book Of Shadows.

"Really?" Ian asked. "That's what it was? I didn't even know they existed."

"We've dealt with demons, warlocks, evil witches, gremlins, mermaids, gypsies, whitelighters, ghosts, fairy tales, and Enchantresses and you didn't even think that werewolves could exist?"

Ian stood there with his mouth open for a moment and then said, "Okay... you got me there."

"Thought so. Anyways," she said, looking down at the page that had a picture and description about what a werewolf was, "Werewolves are part man and part wolf. They were created when a powerful sorcerer did a spell to combine wolf and man as a type of warrior. He succeeded, yet the werewolf could not be controlled and attacked the sorcerer, biting him. The bite then also made the sorcerer a werewolf, and when he bit someone, they too changed."

"So it seems like at least part of the myth is true," Ian said. "But what about the full moon part? We didn't have one tonight. That's tomorrow."

"It says here that werewolves actually prowl three nights a month," Katie said, reading through the description. "The night before the full moon, the night of the full moon, and the night after the full moon. And that they are most vicious during the full moon night."

"Great. Okay, well it's getting pretty late. Let's get some sleep and pick up where we left off tomorrow morning."

"What about Kath? She's not home yet." Katie glanced at her watch. "And it's almost three in the morning."

"I'm not going to stay up and wait for her. I'm tired and I'm going to get some sleep. What about you?"

Katie sighed. "I guess I'll go to bed too." She then closed the Book and she and Ian left the attic to go get ready for bed.

-

"Yeah, it's a really bad cold," Katie said into the phone, faking a cough. "I just don't think I can come in today. But tomorrow for sure. ...Thanks Mr. Knight. Bye." Katie then hung up the phone and set it down on the kitchen table. "Well I got off work for the day."

"Good," Ian said. He sat at the table as well, reading the newspaper and having breakfast.

"Kath still not up, huh?"

"I checked her room this morning. No sign that the bed was slept in."

"You mean she didn't come home? Ian, what if she was attacked by the werewolf!"

"I... I just assumed that she stayed over at Tobias's."

"Well what if she didn't? Sheesh, you don't even think about the well being of your own sister?"

"But, I—"

"I'm going to call her," Katie interrupted, picking up the phone again. She dialed Kathy's cell phone and waited.

"Hello?" came Kathy's voice.

"Oh, good. You're all right," Katie said.

"Yeah... why wouldn't I be?"

"Well you never came home we thought you might have been attacked."

"Oh. Well, no, I'm fine. I decided to stay over at Tobias's last night. Geez, didn't know I needed permission."

"No, you don't. We were just worried. There's a werewolf running around and—"

"So that's what it was, huh? Wow, who knew werewolves were real?"

"You know, I already went over this with Ian... But the point is that they are real. And contrary to popular belief they can transform three nights of the month instead of one. Last night, tonight, and tomorrow night. Ian and I were thinking that we would try to look for the human that this werewolf is most of the time. They might not even know what is happening. And so when we find them maybe we can find a cure or something. So, I was hoping you could come with us and—"

"Sorry, I can't. I'm at work already and I can't leave."

"Okay... what about your lunch break?"

"I'm having lunch with my parents."

"So cancel."

"On my parents? Kate, I know you guys are my biological family, but my parents are my true family, now and forever. I can't and won't cancel on them."

"But Kath, what about the werewolf?"

"They only transform after the sun sets, right? So you have nothing to worry about. I'll be home before sun set, so if the guy transforms we will all be there to deal with it."

Katie sighed. "Fine. I'll see you later." Katie then hung up.

"Let me guess," Ian said, folding his newspaper and setting it down. "She's not coming."

Katie shook her head. "Nope. For now we are on our own." She got up and put her dishes in the sink. "So how do we find this guy?"

"Well, the werewolf is still a part of him. And there is some of it's hair left on my shirt from last night's attack. So I am thinking we can use the hair to scry for him."

"Okay then. Let's get to it."

-

"Who was that?" Tobias asked as Kathy put her cell phone away.

"It was Katie."

"Is everything all right? They called last night as well. Is there a demon or something?"

"Or something. It's a werewolf."

"Oh. Wow. So are you going to try and convince Tony to let you leave?"

"No, I'm not. It's day time, which means wolf boy is dormant. And I have a lot of work to do." Kathy then put her hand to her head and winced in pain.

"Still having those headaches?" Tobias asked.

"Yeah, and they are getting worse. I don't know what's wrong."

"Maybe you should see a doctor."

"Ian said the same thing. But no, I'm not going to. They are just headaches and that would be way to much hassle. I can handle this fine."

"If you say so."

"I do. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do."

-

"So what are we supposed to say?" Katie asked as she and Ian entered the office complex. "Are we supposed to just say, 'Guess what, you're a werewolf?'"

"Well even if this person doesn't know what they are they must at least know that something is going on. So we'll just have to explain it to them and get them to understand."

"Won't that be fun," Katie muttered sarcastically.

"Shush." The two went up to the front desk and got a map of the offices. Ian then pulled the scrying crystal out of his pockets, a few bits of werewolf hair taped to it. He swung the crystal over the map and almost instantly it connected. "Okay, room number 109. Let's go."

They made their way through the halls and came to room 109, which had a sign next to it that said "Accounting." Katie knocked on the door and a moment later it was answered by an average sized man with dark brown hair. He was dressed in a business suit and he looked clean, but he also looked really tired. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"Um... maybe," Katie said. "You might remember us actually. From last night..."

"Last night?" The man pushed his hands through his hair and shook his head. "I... I don't remember much from last night." He then sniffed the air. "But... you do sm— seem, I mean, you do seem familiar."

Ian glanced at Katie. "I think this is our guy."

"What do you mean?" the man asked.

"Look, maybe we should speak in your office," Katie said, glancing around the hallway.

"Okay..." The man stepped back and Ian and Katie entered. Once they were in, the man shut the door and then went around to sit at his desk. "Now what did you mean?"

"Well, Mr..." Ian looked at the name plate on the desk. "Mr. Robinson."

"Call me Harry."

"Right. Well, Harry... you had a blackout last night, didn't you."

"Um... yes. How did you know?"

Ian continued on without answering. "And you were bitten by a large wolf-like dog recently, weren't you?"

"...Yes. Around the beginning of the month. How do you know all this?"

"Look, Harry," Katie said. "We believe that you... are a werewolf."

"What! But that's crazy. Werewolves aren't real. That's like saying witches are real." Ian and Katie looked at one another and then started to laugh. "What? What's so funny?"

"Just that you happened to say that," Katie said, bringing her laughing down to a small chuckle. "Because... we're witches. Usually we wouldn't tell you that, but if we are going to help you with your problem then you need to know."

"You are both insane. Now please leave my office."

"We can prove it to you," Ian said. He got up from his chair and went over to a more open space of the office. Ian then levitated up, hovering just below the ceiling.

Harry's mouth dropped open and he shook his head. "No... it's a trick. I mean it has to be. Just some cheap magic trick. I've seen magicians do that on TV."

Ian dropped back down to the floor and frowned. "I take that as an insult, you know." He then looked at his sister. "You're turn."

Katie got up as well and stepped away from her chair. With a wave of her hand she moved the chair across the room where it stopped when it bumped against the wall. "Explain that," she said.

"Just more wires and stuff. This is all a set up, isn't it? Some kind of practical joke that my coworkers are playing. Or... it's for some television show." He glanced around. "Where are the cameras?"

Ian sighed. "There are none. Kate, I think you should show him a few things that can't be explained by a few invisible wires."

Katie nodded. She picked up a book off of the desk and threw it into the air. As gravity took its hold and the book came back down, Katie raised her hands and released her power. The book froze in midair. As Harry gasped and stared at the book, Katie orbed out and orbed back in right next to Harry sitting at the desk. He yelped and jumped back. Katie then wiggled the fingers of her right hand at the book and it unfroze, dropping to the floor with a thud. She then looked at Harry and grinned. "Believe us now?"

He nodded vigorously. "Please... don't hurt me."

"We don't want to hurt you," Ian said. "We want to help you. You just have to trust us enough to come back to our house so we can figure this all out. Okay?"

Harry looked at Ian and saw the sincerity in his eyes. He nodded. "All right. I'll go with you."

-

"So how am I supposed to know I am a werewolf?" Harry asked. They were all back at the manor and were in the attic. "I mean, all I have is what you guys say. And I can't completely trust that."

"Oh, I think I have a solution for that," Katie said, getting up and going over to the Book Of Shadows. "I'm sure I saw a spell in here for seeing one's past..." She paged through it and then stopped when she found the right one. "Here it is. Okay... we need a piece of paper..." She grabbed up a piece of notepad paper and began to write on it. She then wrote the date of the day before and the time that Harry had attacked herself and Ian. "All right, here we go. Ian, come here."

Ian went and stood next to his sister. Katie pointed at the spell they needed to read and then picked up a lighter, setting the piece of paper with the information on it aflame, and then dropping it into a bowel. The paper burned and smoke coiled in the air as the two siblings read the spell. "From these ashes let us see Harry's past, so mote it be."

The smoke that was coiling grew thicker and coalesced into a cloud. In the center of the cloud a small window opened and a scene took place within it. The three of them then watched the scene unfold, showing the attack on Ian and Katie made by Harry in werewolf form. It then all grew hazy and the smoke dissipated.

"So that was me?" Harry asked, astounded.

Katie nodded. "Yep. A little hairier and fangier, but you, just the same."

"Okay, so how do we cure it? How can we make me normal again?"

"Uh," Ian said, "That we are not sure of."

"There is no mention of a cure in our Book of Shadows." Katie could see Harry on the verge of panicking. "But... don't worry. We'll figure something out. Right Ian?"

Ian nodded. "Absolutely." But on the inside he wasn't so sure. He didn't no if there was anyway they could cure Harry.

-

"Still fighting demons, honey?"

Kathy looked up from her plate and at her mother. She and her parents were sitting outside a small cafe and there weren't many other people around, but Kathy still glanced around to make sure none of them had heard. "Mom... be a little more discreet, will you?"

"Oh. Sorry. But still... are you?"

"Yes, mom, I am. I have to. It's like a second job."

"But do you really have to do it?" Kathy's father asked. "You didn't before. Why now?"

"Because... Well... Katie and Ian need me."

"Do they really?" Kathy's mother asked, taking a sip of her coffee. "I mean, you said yourself that they had been doing fine on their own for a year before they met you. Why do they need you now?"

"They are my biological family. I can't just abandon them."

"Well you don't have to abandon them. Visit them like you do us. I just don't like you doing all this demon fighting. You could get hurt. Or worse."

"Just think of this, darling," her father said. "You were doing fine before you met them. Yes, you had powers, but demons were not coming after you all the time. And then suddenly these two people come into your life and your life is at risk every single day. How can you live like that? You have a promising career and yet all this could destroy it."

Kathy stared down into her cup. "I just... I don't know." She looked up at her parents. "Well... maybe you're right."

-

"I don't know what we can do," Katie said. She stood in the kitchen, making coffee for all three of them. Ian was there, sitting at the table. Harry was in the living room; he had wanted some time to think to himself. "What if there isn't a cure? We can't just not help him. We have to do something."

"I know," Ian said, running a hand through his hair. "But there is nothing in the Book of Shadows that says anything about a cure. I don't know where else to look."

Katie sighed. "We need Kathy." They heard the front door slam and Kathy's call. "...Ask and you shall receive." The two got up and went to the foyer where Kathy was hanging up her jacket. "Hey. We found our werewolf."

"That's great. But... there is something I wanted to talk to you guys about."

"Can it wait?" Ian asked. "Because we kind of—"

"Katie! Ian!" Harry's call seemed urgent.

The three siblings rushed into the living room. Harry was standing up with his back to them, staring down at his hands. "Harry, what is it?" Katie asked.

Harry turned around slowly, still staring down at his hands. For good reason, too. His hands were covered in thick patches of fur and his nails were black and sharp. "I think it's happening."

Katie looked out the window. "Uh oh. The sun is going down."

"How do we stop it!" Harry yelled.

"I don't know," Katie said, trying to think of something. She was really worried. It was the night of the full moon, meaning all werewolves would be at their worst.

The sun then went down below the horizon and Harry's head shot up. He let loose a long howl and suddenly transformed fully, his clothes tearing and falling to pieces on the floor. He let out another howl and then grabbed the couch, lifting it up and then throwing it across the room at the siblings.

"Whoa!" Ian threw up his hands and the middle of the couch exploded, the two halves landing on either side of the siblings. "What do we do!"

"I don't know!" Harry was trashing the living room; smashing vases, tearing the furniture, and howling the whole time. He then turned to them and leapt, baring his fangs. Katie screamed and raised her hands, freezing Harry in mid-leap. "Well... that's one way to stop him."

Suddenly there was a flash of orange light and man stood in the center of the room. He was dressed in a tweed business suit and looked very professional. But there was something evil about him. He glanced at the frozen werewolf. "There you are. I've been looking all over. You got away from me last night, but not this time." He raised his hands and them closed it into fists. A cage suddenly formed around Harry. The man smiled and looked at the three siblings. "Thanks for making this much easier for me."

"Who the hell are you?" Kathy asked.

"The Collector. I'm sure you have heard of me."

Ian shook his head. "No, we haven't. And we don't care. Now let Harry go."

"Now why would I do that? I've been wanting a werewolf for a long time. There is no way I am going to give this one up now." He then regarded the siblings with a hard stare. "You three are all witches. I don't have one of those..."

"And you never will." Ian shot out his hands and a small explosion erupted against the Collector's chest, knocking him back a few feet. But it did no visible damage.

"Well, you are quite the fire cracker. I don't have the time now, but I will be back for one of you later. Thanks again for the help." He then disappeared in a flash of orange light along with the cage that contained Harry.

"Dammit!" Katie hissed. "We lost our innocent!"

"We have to find him," Ian said, heading for the stairs.

"Um, guys," Kathy said. "I still want to talk to you."

"Kath, this really isn't the time," Katie said. "We have a demon that has just taken our innocent and from what he said he might come back for one of us."

"Well this is what I wanted to talk about."

"What?"

"This!" Kathy said, motioning to the destruction of the living room. "Demons, werewolves, everything. I hate risking my life every damn day. I hate fighting demons. I hate having to lie to my boss about where I go and risking my job. I hate making my parents all worried. I just hate all of it."

"So..." Ian started.

"So I'm done!" Kathy cried. "I am through with being a witch and getting attacked by demons everyday. I just want to go back to my old life. I'm sorry." She then turned on her heel and left the house, slamming the door behind her.

"What... the HELL... just happened!" Katie yelled with a stunned expression on her face.

"I... I have no idea. But we don't have time for this. we have to find out everything we can about this Collector guy." The two started up the stairs when the doorbell suddenly rang.

"Oh, what now?" Katie went back down the stairs and opened to door to find two police officers standing there. "Oh. Hello officers. What can I do for you?"

"We have had continuous reports of loud noises coming from this house. Crashes, screams, stuff like that."

"Well," Ian said, coming up next to Katie, "We can assure you that there is nothing going on. Everything is fine."

"We'll be the judge of that," one of the officers said. He pulled out a slip of paper. "We have a warrant." They then entered the manor, making their way towards the living room.

"No!" Katie threw up her hands and the police officers froze in mid-step. "Ian, what do we do!"

"Uh... quick, go get the Book of Shadows. I have an idea." Katie orbed out and then orbed back in few moments later, Book in hand. She gave it to Ian, who opened it and started to page through it. "Okay, here we go." Ian stepped up to the entrance of the trashed living room and began reading. "Let the object of objection become but a dream, as I cause the scene to become unseen." The room glowed and with a flash of bright, sparkling lights, the room was suddenly normal again.

"Wow," Katie said. "That is one useful spell."

Ian nodded. "Now hurry and hide this somewhere," he said, handing Katie the Book.

Katie took it and orbed out. A minute later she orbed back in and the two got back in their places. Katie flicked her hands and the officers unfroze. They looked in the living room and found nothing wrong with it. They then did a quick search of the rest of the house, but found nothing wrong. "Sorry to have bothered you," one of them said when they were done. "But if we get anymore calls we will be keeping an eye on you."

"No worries," Katie said. "We'll be good."

The officer smiled. "Okay. Have a good night."

"You too!" Katie then closed the door as the officers went down the walk. "That was close."

"You're telling me. Now come on, we have to help Harry."

-

"He's an upper level demon who collects magical beings and creatures. He keeps them caged up in his castle, which is guarded by powerful magic. Few know its location and even fewer know how to get in." Ian sighed as he finished reading the entry on the Collector.

"Is there a vanquish?" Katie asked, coming up beside her brother.

"Yeah, but it's a Power of Three spell."

"Figures," Katie muttered. "And with Kathy on strike, we have no way to kill him."

"We could try orbing her ass back here," Ian suggested.

"No... being forceful will just make her want to be away from us even more. We're just going to have to find some other way to kill this guy."

"Sorry," came a voice. "But there isn't."

The two looked up to find the Collector standing near the doorway. He raised his hand and clenched it into a fist; a cage appeared around Katie. "No!" Ian yelled. He raised his hands to blast the Collector, but the demon launched a bolt of orange lightning, which hit Ian in the chest and sent him flying across the room.

"I would have taken you, the one with so much power..." He looked at Katie and smiled. "But you are such a pretty little thing."

"Who are you calling little?" Katie dissipated in a flurry of blue orbs, but they ricocheted off of the bars and coalesced back into Katie's form.

"Sorry, but there is no orbing allowed. Now we really must be going." And in a flash of orange light, he and Katie disappeared.

Ian pushed himself up into a sitting position, hand over his wounded chest. "Katie..."

-

The front door of the manor opened and Kathy came in quietly. It had been several hours since she had left and the house was quiet. "I guess maybe they went to sleep," Kathy whispered to herself. She made her way up the stairs and noticed light coming from the attic. She went up there to find Ian sitting alone, flipping furiously through the Book of Shadows. "Hey," she said.

Ian didn't look up, but did stop his flipping. "She's gone," was all he said.

"Who?"

"Katie!" Ian whipped around. "She was taken by the Collector! And if you had been here it wouldn't have happened!"

Kathy gasped and put a hand to her mouth. "Oh god... I'm so sorry..." She could feel another headache coming on. It pounded in her head, like a loud drum.

"Yeah, well sorry doesn't bring Katie back."

Kathy shook her head, trying to make the pain go away. She then noticed Ian's burnt shirt and scalded flesh. "Ian... you're hurt." She moved forward and reached out her hand, a golden light flowing from it, healing Ian's wound. He didn't thank her. Just turned around and started flipping through the Book again. "Okay... so how do we find her?"

"I don't know! No one really knows where this guy's castle is and no one knows how to get in. He's probably the only one who can do it."

"Okay, we have to think here..."

"Oh, so now you want to help, huh?" Ian turned around again and gave Kathy a harsh glare.

"Yes, Ian, of course I do. She's my sister too."

"And that's just the thing. She is your sister and I am your brother. You can't just turn your back on us and leave us to fight the forces of evil on our own."

"Ian..."

"No! Now you listen to me. I'm sorry if we came in and screwed up your perfect little life. But that's not our fault. This is our destiny; what we have to do. Katie and I have lives too, and you know what? It's really hard, but we deal. And we deal with it together. That's what siblings are for. We don't turn our backs on one another. We help each other get through things and we take care of each other. Now you have to understand that!"

Kathy nodded and looked into Ian's eyes. "I do. Ian, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. It's just that everything in my life changed so suddenly and I don't do well with change. My life was fine and then there were suddenly demons and warlocks and other evils. But I see now that you guys are here to help me and support me. You both accepted me into your lives and made me feel welcome. And I understand now that this is our duty and that we can work with each other to make it as painless as possible."

Ian nodded. "That's what we're here for."

"Yeah," Kathy said, wiping her eyes. "Now come on. We have to find some way to save Katie."

Ian turned back to the Book, flipping back to the page with the entry on the Collector. "Okay... he collects magical beasts... he is probably the only one who knows how to get into his castle..."

"Hey," Kathy said, having a sudden idea. "He collects magical beats and brings them to his castle, right?"

"Right..."

"So why don't we give him some beasts to collect?"

"How do we— Oh..." Ian smiled as he understood Kathy's plan.

Kathy nodded. "Yep. Now let's do it."

-

"You sure this is going to work?" Ian asked. The two siblings stood in the park, glancing around to make sure no one was coming. It was the middle of the night, but one never knew, being it New York City.

"There's only one way to find out." Kathy pulled out a spell and held it up for the two of them to read.

"Magical creatures we wish to become. Give us a glamour and this spell is done." Their skin began to glow and ripple.

Ian's muscles bulged out and he grew several feet taller. His bones crunched and moved around, thickening. Horns protruded and grew out from the sides of his head. His feet melded together and hardened, becoming hooves. And a few moments later he was fully changed. Ian was now a minotaur.

Kathy was changing as well. Her arms became longer and sprouted feathers. The rest of her did the same, except for her feet, which had become scaly. The toes melted into three long, sharp talons. Kathy's hair turned gray and her eyes darkened. She was a harpy; part bird, part woman. She let out a screech that ripped through the night.

There was an orange flash and the Collector appeared. "Well, well, what do we have here? A harpy and a minotaur? Where did you come from?"

Harpy-Kath glanced at Ian-taur and then lurched at him, flapping her wings and scraping with her talons. Ian-taur bellowed and swung back with his humongous fists.

"Ah, come here to fight, have you? Well I'm on a schedule, so we can't have that." He raised both hands and clenched them into fists, making cages appear around the two. "Off we go, then." And with a flash, they were gone.

-

In the deep dungeons of the Collector's castle, the Collector appeared, along with the two cages holding Harpy-Kath and Ian-taur. "Ah, home sweet home." The Collector looked into one of the cells of the dungeon. "I brought home some more pets. Would you like to see them?"

Katie sat with her back against one of the walls, her head down on her knees. She flinched when the Collector talked to her and looked up. "Wow. A harpy and a minotaur. Good for you," she said sarcastically.

The Collector dismissed the remark and looked around. "Looks like we are running low on space around here. Guess we'll have to put these two in there with you. I'm sure you will all get along quite nicely." He called two of his guards, low-level demons, and then stepped up to Katie's cell, opening the door. "If you try anything you will be dead before you can even blink." He raised his hand where orange energy crackled, emphasizing his point. He then nodded to his guards to open the cages.

They did so and went to grab onto Harpy-Kath and Ian-taur. The two siblings suddenly transformed back into themselves. "Surprise," Ian said, just before blowing up the guard. He leapt out of his cage and did the same to the other so Kathy could step out of her cage.

"I've been tricked!" the Collector cried. He went to close Katie's cell, but Ian was there in a second, kicking the demon back from the cell's door.

"I'll help Katie. You distract the Collector." Ian then ran into the cell, helping Katie up.

Kathy stepped in front of the Collector and summoned her power of astral projection. Her head suddenly screamed in pain. It was the worst she had felt since the headaches had started. Kathy grabbed her head and yelled out. Suddenly the pain relaxed and a bright beam of light shot from her forehead. It hit the Collector in the chest and he was knocked back against the wall.

"What the hell was that?" Katie asked as she and Ian came out of the cell.

"No time!" Ian yelled. "We have to say the vanquishing spell."

Ian pulled the spell from his pocket and they began to read. "Collector of magical creatures and beasts, we call on our power to make you deceased." The Collector cried out in pain as cracks appeared in his flesh, orange light spilling from them. One large one appeared on his chest and in a great blast it ripped open and the Collector was gone.

All the cell doors suddenly opened and the creatures rushed out; some disappearing by their own magic and some rushing out through the door to the dungeon. The siblings turned and looked at Harry, who was unconscious and still in his wolf form. The fur on his body melted away and he shrunk back to his regular size. He was Harry again, but it was a naked Harry.

"Oh my," Kathy said, she and Katie turning away. Ian took of his jacket and went to help Harry up, wrapping the jacket around his lower body.

"You okay?" Ian asked as the two of them came out into the hall.

"Yeah, I'm all right. A little cold, though," he said with a laugh.

"Come on," Ian said. "Let's get back to the manor. I have some clothes you can borrow." He looked at Katie. "You up to orbing us out of here?"

Katie nodded. "Most definitely. This place reeks." She then held onto everyone and they all disappeared in a flurry of blue light.

-

The next night Ian came into King's corner and made his way through the crowd to the siblings' regular booth. Katie and Kathy were already there, sipping on their drinks and laughing with each other. They looked up as Ian sat down. "Hey," Katie said. "How did it go with Harry?"

Ian shrugged. "It went all right. He was pretty bummed about there being no cure for his werewolfiness. But we found a place where he could lock himself up three nights a month with no worries of being disturbed. I stayed with him for a little while after the transformation, just to make sure he would be okay."

"Cool," Katie said. "But I feel pretty bad that there wasn't more we could do for him."

"Well, sometimes all we can do is give support," Kathy said.

"Funny hearing that from you," Katie said with a wry smile.

"Well... I get now that we have to stick together. No matter what."

"Good," Ian said. "Hey, what was with that beam of light last night?"

"I think," Kathy said slowly, "that it was a new power. And that those headaches were the power trying to come out."

"A new power already?" Katie asked. "That is so not fair."

"Well I have had my powers all my life. It's about time I got a new one."

"But what about your astral projection?" Ian asked.

Kathy shrugged. "I tried to astral project several times today and it didn't work. I did blast a hole in my bedroom wall, though."

"Wow," Katie said. "So how come you gained one power and lost the other?"

"I think that maybe since I haven't been using my powers that much throughout my life that when this new one came there was like... a power surge. And it booted out my weakest power, astral projection, which I have only used a few times in my whole life." She sighed. "I think this one is going to be hard to get used to."

"Well don't worry," Ian said with a smile. "We'll be here to support you."

"No matter what," Katie said.

Kathy smiled. "Thanks guys." They all looked up as Beth announced the band that was playing there that night. It was Aimee Mann. The three cheered with the rest of the crowd as the band began to play their song "Save Me."

"You look like... a perfect fit. For a girl in need... of a tourniquet. But can you save me? Come on and save me. If you could save me. From the ranks, of the freaks, who suspect, they could never love anyone." The three siblings sat back as Aimee Mann played on through the song; Kathy putting her arm around Katie's shoulders and Katie leaning her head on her brother's shoulder. They would support one another through thick and thin, with a bond that couldn't be broken. "Come on and save me. Why don't you save me? If you could save me. From the ranks, of the freaks, who suspect they could never love anyone..."


	32. Secret Thoughts

A/N: Howdy guys. Season three is in full-steam written..ness... I think we got about half done! So anyway, this episode is originally written by Ian, rewritten a tad by AK. Mostly just the dinner part later on.

Thank you,_Hazza_, for your awesome review!

* * *

**Episode 2.7: Secret Thoughts**

King's Corner was packed. Music played loudly over the speakers, people danced, and Katie sat at one table talking with a guy she had just met. His name was Trevor. He was average height, had sandy brown hair, and he wore a navy blue suit and a pearly white smile.

"Yeah, I just got off of work," he said, taking a sip of his drink.

Katie nodded. "What do you do?"

"I work for an insurance company. But I have to be the one that calls people up on the phone. The customers may not like it, but it's my job. And I have to make a living somehow."

"Hey, I used to have the exact same job."

"Really?" Trevor said, laughing. "Well what do you do now?"

"I am a computer technician. I open those babies up and work on the inside."

"So you are like a computer surgeon."

Katie chuckled. "Yeah, I kinda am." She glanced at her watch and her eyes widened. "Oh, it's getting late and I have to leave for work early tomorrow. So," she said, taking out a pen from her purse, "You can call me at this number." Katie wrote the number of the manor down onto her napkin and then slid it across the table. Trevor took it.

"Thanks. I will."

"Bye." Katie got up and went over to Kathy who was sitting at a nearby booth with some of her friends. "Hey, Kath. Um, I'm leaving now and if you want a ride you have to come with me. Ian's working until closing."

"Oh, but I'm not ready to go. Come on Kate. Stay a little longer. I saw you talking with a cute guy. Why don't you dance with him?"

"Because I have to get up early tomorrow. Now do you want a ride or not?"

Kathy sighed. "Fine. Bye you guys." Her friends waved as Kathy and Katie left. In the car Kathy put on her seat belt and then turned to her sister.

"So, who was that guy you were with?" she asked.

_Trevor the hottie,_ Katie thought to herself. She was about to tell Kathy his name, but Kathy spoke first.

"Trevor the hottie? Is his last name Hottie?" Kathy said, laughing. Katie frowned.

"Noooo... where did you get that? I didn't say anything yet."

"Sure ya did. You said Trevor the Hottie. I was just joking, sheesh. Of course his name wasn't Trevor Hottie. That's just insane." Katie pulled out of the parking lot.

"But I didn't say anything!" Katie said.

"Are you sure?" Kathy asked.

"Have you been drinking?"

"Hello, we were at a bar," Kathy said. Katie paused, but nodded.

"But were you doing that," Katie waved her hands around, "telepathy thing on me?"

"Uh... no, and keep your hands on the wheel for heavens sakes," Kathy said, pushing Katie's hands to the wheel.

_Odd... _Katie thought.

"What is?" Kathy asked.

"What is what?" Katie asked. "And if you say odd, I'm going to hurt you."

"Why? That's what you said," Kathy said.

_You are reading my mind, doofus,_ Katie thought, glaring at her sister.

"I am not! And keep your eyes on the road... you're going to kill us," Kathy said.

"AH HA!" Katie exclaimed.

"Ah ha what?" Kathy asked.

"I thought that," Katie said. _Just like I am now._

"Huh... that's strange... oh well," Kathy said. Katie frowned and punched her in the arm.

"Well you better not be digging in my head. I have a lot of personal stuff up there."

"And you won't tell me? Katie, I'm your sister."

"Yeah, I know. But I just found that out awhile ago. It is still a little new to me and I don't feel that comfortable telling you really personal stuff when I have only known you for a few months." Katie looked over at her sister and saw that she looked heart stricken. But Kathy immediately changed her facial expression.

"That's okay. I keep things from you too. Lots of things."

_Right, _Katie thought.

"I do!"

"STOP IT!" Katie yelled. Kathy sighed. She was using her power without knowing it. Being able to hear her sister's thoughts without willing it. And that was not a good thing.

-

Katie and Kathy were in the bathroom brushing their teeth. Katie was singing a song in her head. "Of all the songs..." Kath mumbled.

"You're doing it again," Katie grumbled.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just don't even know when I do it..." Katie turned to her sister and gave her a sympathetic look.

"Have you been practicing your power?"

"Did you say that or think that?" Kathy asked, squinting at Katie.

"Are you deaf? I said it," Katie said.

"Oh, right... um... not really, only when we really need it."

"Okay," Katie said, waving her toothbrush around, "you should practice it. Because if you don't then it will just get out of control. Like it is now. So practice. But not on me. Okay?" Kathy nodded.

"Yes."

"Good." Katie rinsed her mouth and then left the bathroom to go to her room. "Night."

"Night."

-

Outside in the dark night a figure stood. The light from the street lamp bounced off his sandy brown hair. Trevor had followed Katie home. He knew who she was; what powers she had. He knew about her two siblings, and who they were as well. And he knew the history of the King line. Trevor had wanted to go to Kathy, and get in with her. Make her trust him. But she had been surrounded by friends. Katie had sat alone. So he went with her. He only needed one of them... just so that he could get into the manor without being suspected. The place was dark. Katie and Kathy had gone to bed. But the soft noise of a car coming up the street alerted Trevor. A moment later he blinked out.

-

Ian pulled up into the driveway in his black Honda civic and got out. It was late, he was tired, and there was a cut on his hand. Beth had knocked an empty wine bottle over and in smashed. Ian had cut himself while trying to clean it up and there hadn't been any bandages at the club. Ian went inside and flipped on the lights. The manor was quiet. Katie and Kathy must have already gone to bed. _All the better,_ he thought. He didn't want them fussing over him. The cut wasn't deep, but it had bled quite a bit and it stung like hell. He went into the downstairs bathroom and opened the mirror cabinet, taking out some bandages. Ian wrapped them around his hand and sighed with relief as the pain began to subside. Heading upstairs, Ian got ready for bed and then slipped into bed around 2:30 in the morning.

-

"Look out," Katie said, almost bumping into Kathy on her way to the dining room. She was carrying a large frying pan that was filled with scrambled eggs. Ian sat at the large table already, sipping from a mug of coffee and reading the newspaper. Katie dished some eggs out onto the plate in front of her brother and then did the same at Kathy's spot and her own.

"Eggs again?" Ian asked, frowning slightly.

"It's one of the only things I know how to make. So you are going to eat it and you are going to like it. Okay?"

"Yes sir," Ian said. He folded up the paper and set it down as Kathy sat at the table. "Morning, Kath. How did you sleep?"

Kathy shrugged. "I slept okay. Yet I had this very strange dream. It was like I was having a birthday party... but all the presents were made out to Katie." Katie looked up suddenly from her spot.

"Hey! I had that same dream. But it was my birthday."

"Whoa. Maybe... telepathy in dreams... never tried that before," Kathy said. Katie frowned and plopped some eggs onto Kathy's plate.

"Wait a minute," Ian said with a look of confusion on his face. "Why would you have used your power in your sleep?"

"Kathy has been using her telepathy without knowing it," Katie answered.

"Well that isn't good. Kathy, you need to get your power under control." Ian picked up his fork and began to eat.

"I usually have had a good handle on it, but—" Kathy noticed the bandage on his hand. "Ian! What happened?" she asked, pointing to his hand.

"Oh, I cut it last night. It's not that bad."

"Well let me heal it," Kathy said. She got up and moved over to Ian, but he pulled away.

"Oh, no you don't. If your telepathy is acting up, maybe your healing power is too. I don't want you making it worse. Plus it doesn't even hurt anymore. Just a little numb."

"Fine." Kathy sat back down, looking hurt.

Ring ring! "I'll get it," Katie said. She held out her hand and the cordless leaped off the counter in the kitchen and flew into the dining room and landed in Kate's hand. "Hello?" she said, answering it.

"Is this Katie?"

"Depends. If you are a bill collector, then no."

The other end of the line laughed. "This is Trevor from last night. I thought I might give you a call."

"Oh Trevor, yeah, hi. How are you?"

"I'm good. I was just wondering if you would want to meet me for lunch today. If you're free."

"Yeah," Katie said, nodding. "I'm free. I get a lunch break around noon. Is that good for you?"

"It is. Listen, I know this great place to eat. It is a nice little deli called Zuri's. Let me give you the address."

_I need a pen and paper, _Katie thought quickly, walking into the kitchen. Kathy appeared behind her a second later and tapped her on the shoulder with it as she was digging in a drawer. Katie turned to see Kathy hold them out to Katie who took them with a frown on her face.

"What?"

"Now you're just doing it for fun," Katie accused.

Kathy sighed. "Oh right," she said, knocking her head with the pad of paper.

"Give me that," Katie said, taking it. Kath handed it over and walked back into the dining room.

"Okay, I will see you there. Bye." Katie hung up and set the phone down, walking back into the dining room. "You have to get control. On another note... I have a date today! It's at—"

"A deli called Zuri's," Kathy said absentmindedly.

"Kathy!"

Kath smiled dryly. "I know, I know."

Katie paused and frowned. "Stop that! You're making me paranoid." Kath shrugged and poked her eggs. Katie sighed. "Well I have to get to work. A big load of virus filled computers came in yesterday and I have to clean them out." Ian looked at his watch.

"Oh crap! I am late again. Derek is going to be very mad." Ian leapt up from the table and rushed out of the room.

"Bye?" Kathy said.

"Bye!" Ian yelled as he headed out the front door. Katie smiled.

"Okay, well I have to get going too. Can you clean this stuff up?" Katie asked as she got up from the table.

"No," Kathy said.

"Thanks. I'll see you later!" She then pulled on her jacket and left.

"Odd how people can forget English conveniently like that," Kathy mumbled. "It isn't like I have a job to get to as well." Setting her fork down, Kathy got up from the table and took the three plates into the kitchen. She put them in the sink. "That will do." She then trotted up the stairs to change and get ready for work.

-

Ian quietly slipped into his office and gave a sigh of relief. "Made it."

"Ian!" Derek called from behind him.

"Ah crap." Ian turned around slowly and looked at his boss who stood in the doorway. "Yes sir?" he said innocently.

"You are late. Again. The only reason I am not firing you on the spot is because you are the best damn writer this place has had in years."

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not," Ian said, hesitantly smiling.

"Take it like this. If you come in late again I won't fire you, but I will make a cut in your salary. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now get to work." Derek turned and trudged off down the hallway. Ian sighed.

"Well that was close." Sitting down at his desk Ian picked up a letter from the box that Jane, his secretary, had left him. Upon touching it, Ian was pulled into a premonition. He saw a young woman sitting in a dark room, about to put a knife through her own heart. The premonition ended. "Oh my god..." Ian quickly ripped open the envelope and read the letter.

"Dear Mr. King,

I hate my life. For years I have been suffering at my high school. I have been called names and pushed around... but that isn't all. Last year, the captain of the football team and some of his buddies got really drunk. I was walking home from the library when the spotted me. They yelled and whooped, knocked my books to the ground, and then pulled me into a secluded area and raped me one by one. I have now had it. There is no joy in my life so I am going to end it. I am sending you this, asking that you will put my letter in the paper and let everyone know what I have gone through. And what some of them did to me.

Thank you and goodbye,

Susan Reed."

Ian laid the letter down on his desk, stunned. He had to get to this girl. Stop her from killing herself. In his premonition there had been on clock on the wall. It had said 3:30. Ian looked at his watch. It was nearing noon. There wasn't much time.

-

"Knock, knock," Kathy said as she entered her boss's office. Tony was sitting at his desk, immersed in some paperwork. Glancing up he saw Kathy standing there.

"Oh, yes, what is it?" he asked.

"I have the sketches of the new dress design that you wanted." Kathy plopped the folder onto Tony's desk.

"Good." Tony opened the folder and began to look through the drawings. "These are very nice... good texture. Very nice tone. Good work, Kathy. Keep it up and you may just get a raise." Kathy smiled. "But only if you stop leaving here at the drop of a pin." The smile faded. "You keep leaving suddenly with no explanation of where you go."

"I do too."

"Saying that you just had to go pick up your laundry from the cleaners is not a good explanation," Tony said in a monotone voice.

"Well... I really did have to. They were going to be closed by the time I got off work," Kathy laughed nervously.

"Right. Well no more leaving unless there is a _real_ emergency. Okay?"

"Yes sir!" Kathy said, trying to hold back a salute. Tony nodded and then waved her away. Kath left and went back to her office. A moment later there was a knock at her door. Looking up she saw that it was Tobias. "Hey," she said, her mood instantly lightening.

"Hi. I saw the boss giving you a lecture. Was it bad?"

"Not totally. He's just mad that I have to keep leaving all the time. And I can't exactly tell him that I have to go save the world from all types of evil." Tobias laughed and then sat on the edge of her desk.

"Well you could... But then he would most likely ship you of to a nut house right away and you wouldn't get your paycheck."

"That would be unfortunate... I just hope that nothing comes up for awhile." Just then her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Kathy, it's Ian. We've got trouble."

-

"Zuri's... where are you?" Katie said to herself as she drove down a busy road. Turning a corner she saw a little place with a red sign with white letters that read Zuri's. "Here we go." Katie pulled over, turned the engine off, and then got out.

"Katie!" called a familiar voice. Katie looked over at a table outside the deli and saw Trevor sitting there, waving. She waved back and walked over to the table. "It's good to see you again. Please, take a seat." Katie obliged and sat down, setting her purse on the table. It was a sunny day out, but with the many tall buildings around, the place was kind of dim.

"This is a nice place. A little on the noisy side though." Katie glanced at the street that was bustling with cars.

"But the food is great." A waitress came out of the deli and set a sandwich down in front of Katie and then Trevor. "I hope you don't mind that I ordered for us already." Katie examined her sandwich and smiled.

"Well you got lucky, because this is my favorite."

"I had a feeling that it would be."

Katie looked up and saw that Trevor had a mischievous grin on his face. "What?"

"Oh, nothing." The grin faded. "So how was your first half of work today?" Trevor picked up his sandwich and took a bite, chewing slowly as he watched Katie.

"It was hell," she said. "I had to go through and clean out a whole bunch of virus filled computers. And I am not even done with half of them."

"Sounds like hell to me. I had an okay day. Not one person hung up on me. And let me tell you, that is a definite plus." Katie laughed and took a bite of her food.

"I kinda hung up on someone once. This lady was just yelling in my ear and I was so sick of her and was wishing I was at home. And then—" Katie stopped. She had wished that she was at home and then had orbed out. It had been the first time she had used her powers. When she had first found out that she was a witch.

"And then what?" Trevor asked, staring at Katie with a confused look on his face.

"And then... I accidentally knocked the phone to the floor and it hung up on her." Katie quickly took some more bites of her sandwich, filling her mouth with food.

"I see... Well I am glad you came. I got a good vibe from you last night. And I hope we can go somewhere with this." Katie smiled.

"Me too."

-

"Alright Ian, this better be good!" Kathy yelled as she entered the manor. Hanging up her jacket, Kathy then walked briskly through the manor and to the kitchen where she sensed Ian's presence. Upon entering she saw her brother sitting at the table, a laptop computer in front of him. "What is this about?" she asked. "I am risking my job here." Ian looked up at her. His face did not hold any pleasing emotions.

"I got a letter today from this girl that said she was going to kill herself. When I picked it up I had a premonition of her doing just that. So I came home to see if I could find her address. In my premonition she killed herself at thirty minutes after three. What time is it now?" he asked, looking back at the laptop. Kathy looked at the clock.

"A little after 2:30, which means we don't have that much time... Didn't your vision show anything else you could use?" Ian shook his head.

"No. But I have her name, so it shouldn't be too hard. You can find anyone on the internet these days." Kathy nodded and then sat down.

"So why is she going to do it?"

"Her letter said that she hated her life and wanted to end it. There was some pretty bad stuff in there, but I am not going to repeat it." Ian clicked the mouse and then waited for a page to load. He looked at Kathy and sighed. "She said that she wanted me to put her letter in the paper so that everyone would know the hell that she went through."

"Are you going to?" Kathy asked, picking at a small chip in the table.

"Well first I am going to find her and stop her from doing this. I don't know what to do after that."

"She is definitely going to need some help. So that she doesn't try doing it again."

Ian nodded. "But we have to stop her from doing it this time first." Ian looked back at the computer. "Got her." He quickly wrote the address down and then stood up. "Let's get moving."

"Wait. Where's Katie?" Kathy asked, following Ian as he left the kitchen.

"She's on that date with what's-his-face," Ian said, making his way outside.

"Trevor Hottie," Kathy mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing," Kathy sighed. "Nothing at all."

-

Katie and Trevor were walking through Central Park, talking to each other. Katie was going to be late getting back to work, but she didn't care. Trevor seemed very nice. He listened to everything she said, laughed at her jokes, and also gave some good ones of his own. He did have an odd glint in his eye, but Katie didn't pay attention to it.

"So when you left last night I saw you leave with another woman. Friend?"

"Sister," Katie said. "My younger sister Kathy."

"Ah. You two look a lot alike. Do you have any other siblings?" Katie nodded.

"I have one brother. He is older than me and very protective."

"Older brothers always are," Trevor said with a smile. Katie laughed.

"Very true. But we all get along fine. And we live together in a manor in the suburbs."

"Doesn't it get a little crowded sometimes?"

"More like... all the time. But that is okay. We are all very close."

"Well that's good that you are the family type. I like that in a woman."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Trevor shook his head.

"No, sadly, I don't. I'm an only child. That's why I like people who are close with their families. You need to stand beside them, because sometimes, they are all you have." They sat down on a bench and Katie looked at Trevor.

"You're right. You know, it is amazing that you don't have a girlfriend already."

"Well I could easily turn the tables and say the same about you." Katie blushed. "No, I'm serious. You are beautiful, smart, and also you have a good sense of humor. I wonder why men are not chasing you around all the time."

"Well, there is just something about me that sometimes sets people off."

"And that would be...?"

"I'm not telling you!" Katie said, hitting Trevor softly on the arm. "I don't want to scare you away."

"Well then I guess I will just have to get to know you better and find out what it is. Then we'll see if it scares me away or not."

"I guess so."

-

"Okay this is it," Ian said, pulling over to the curb. There sat a small white house. The paint was peeling, the lawn was not mowed, and there were several pieces of damaged furniture lying about. "How much time do we have?"

Kathy looked at her watch. "Five minutes, by my watch... but I think it is slow," she said, putting it up to her ear and thumping it.

"Then let's move!" The two got out of the car and went running up the walk. At the door they rang the bell, but there was no answer. Ian tried the knob and it was unlocked. He threw open the door and they went inside. "Let's split up." Ian went down the hall as Kathy went through the living room towards the kitchen. He checked all the rooms and then got to the last doorway. Opening it he saw Susan, about to stab herself in the heart. "No!" Ian yelled. He ran to her and knocked the blade out of her hand. Susan looked up at him.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?"

"My name is Ian King. And the door was unlocked."

Susan's eyes widened. "You got my letter then?"

"Yes. And I can't let you do this, Susan. You can't commit suicide." Kathy came in behind Ian and looked at Susan with concern.

"Why not!" Susan yelled. "You don't know what it is like to be me! My life sucks, okay? So what is the point of living it?" Tears began to pour from her eyes and down her face.

"Because it can get better," Kathy said gently. "If you let it."

Ian nodded. "We can help you, Susan. Don't give up on life now. If you do, you are making a huge mistake." Susan turned away.

"What do you know?"

"A lot," Ian said. "My sisters and I go through so much everyday. Sure we could just give up and die, but we would be doing the wrong thing. The good things that happen in our lives far out weigh the bad. And if you let us help you, you can have some happiness too." Susan looked back at them. She had stopped crying.

"Can you really help me?" she asked.

"Only if you let us," Kathy said. Susan nodded.

"Okay."

-

"I had a really good time," Katie said. She and Trevor stood at the entrance to the park, saying their goodbyes.

"So did I. I really hope we can do this again."

"Me too," Katie said. Trevor smiled and then leaned in to kiss her. Katie let him and kissed back. She felt a spark of connection between the two of them. After a moment they broke the kiss. "Bye," Katie said. She then turned and walked back to her car with a smile on her face. Trevor watched after her with a grin, his eyes flashing red and then changing back.

-

"Okay, I had a talk with her parents and they are going to help Susan get through this," Ian told Kathy as they opened the door to the manor. "They are going to get her a counselor and are going to have a talk with the school principal. I really hope she tells them what was in that letter."

"Have you decided if you are going to put Susan's letter in your column?" Kathy asked, hanging her coat up on the peg. Ian sighed and went into the living room, sitting on the couch. Kathy followed him in and sat in the chair across from him.

"I have decided to not put the letter in there, but I am going to write an article on it. No names will be said. I don't want to publicize Susan's attempt to kill herself." They heard the front door close.

"Hello! Anyone home?"

"In here!" Ian called. Katie appeared in the entrance to the living room with a smile on her face.

"Hey guys. I just had a great date with Trevor." She looked at the two of them and her smile faded. "I don't see any overwhelming joy coming from either of you. What's up?"

"We just had... a hard day," Kathy told her.

"But we did save someone's life," Ian put in.

Katie groaned. "Oh there isn't a demon going around killing innocents again, is there?"

Both Ian and Kathy shook their heads. "It was... inner demons this time. Driving a girl to try and kill herself."

"She didn't think life was worth living. But I hope that Kathy and I changed her mind."

"Oh... well, I did have a great date!"

"We know," Kathy said. "You still have that look on your face."

Katie raised her eyebrows. "What look?" she asked.

"The look that a woman gets when she has been kissed at the end of the date. But it only works if it was a good kiss. It was a good kiss, right?"

Katie nodded. "Oh yeah. And I felt... a connection between us. I really want to see him again."

"Well he must be good. Because he called you first. Usually it is the other way around. Us woman have to do all the work."

"Hey!" Ian said. "That isn't true. We men have a very big part in the relationship."

Kathy rolled her eyes. "It's not always big with some men." Katie started laughing but Ian just glared.

"You are sick. Now if you will excuse me, I still need to get some lunch." Ian then got up and left the room with Katie and Kathy still laughing.

"Okay," Kathy said, laughing quietly, "I have to get back to work. Tony is going to kill me if he notices that I have been gone this long." Kathy got up out of the chair and then started for the door. "Don't you need to get back to those 'virus filled computers?'"

"Yeah," Katie said, her laughter now diminished. "I just came home to tell you guys about my date. I most likely won't get back until late tonight. And I really don't like to drive when I am tired so..." Katie then orbed out.

Kathy shook her head. "She will be the death of us all."

-

That night, Ian was behind the bar of the club, serving drinks. Trevor came up and sat down. "I'll have a scotch." Ian nodded and quickly poured the drink. He handed it to Trevor who downed it right away. "Hey, you're Katie's brother, aren't you?" Ian nodded.

"Yeah. And you are?"

"I'm Trevor." He held out his hand and Ian shook it.

"Ah, I have heard of you."

"Was what you heard good or bad?"

Ian laughed. "It was good, don't worry. My sister seems to like you."

"Well that's great. Have you seen her around here?" Ian shook his head.

"No, she's working late tonight. But I think you can give her a call tomorrow. It's her day off and she'll be free."

"So you know your sister's plans before she does, huh?" Trevor asked while Ian started to scrub out a tall beer glass.

"Well... not always. But I sometimes have a small inclination of what goes on in the future."

Trevor sniggered. "Then maybe you should be a psychic instead of a club owner."

"Nah. Doesn't pay as well."

Trevor laughed lightly again and then got up. "Well I will see you around," he said, placing some money on the counter. Ian took it and nodded.

"See ya," he said as Trevor left. He glanced down at the money in his hand. "Oh... good tipper."

-

Trevor stood in the underworld, in the middle of a circle of three highly powerful demons. They were the recently reconstituted Triad. Cole Turner had wiped out the old Triad, but now they had returned with the presence of a new Power of Three. "Why is this taking so long?" one of them asked Trevor.

"Look, if you want me to actually win then it will take time. I have to get them to trust me first. So I can get in. Then I will separate their bond, so that they are weaker. Then I will go after Kathy and turn her to our side."

A bearded demon snorted. "Why did you not just go after her in the first place?"

"Because she might have sensed me. She too has the power of telepathy. I must wait until I have her trust as well as the others. I believe I have two of them already."

"Good," said the third. "Return to your mission. We await your next report." Trevor bowed and then blinked out.

"I don't trust him," said the bearded one.

"Of course you don't. He is a warlock. They can never be trusted."

"Silence," said the third. He seemed to be the leader. "He may be a warlock, but he is as best as they come. He is elusive and cunning. And he may well get the job done. All the others have failed... maybe this time we will be victorious."

-

It was morning and Katie was in the laundry room, putting things in the washing machine. She had orbed home and into bed at around two the night before. She was tired, but some coffee had woken her up a bit. Looking up, Katie saw that the laundry detergent was on the top shelf, where she couldn't reach it. "Dang it. Why does Ian have to put that all the way up there when he does the laundry?" Holding out her hands, Katie inched her fingers inward. The box of detergent flew off the shelf and down into her grasp. "What would I do without this power?"

"Use a step stool," said Ian, coming into the small spaced room. "You know that you're not supposed to use your powers for personal gain."

"I wasn't," Katie retorted. "Some of your clothes are in here too. So I was helping you by getting down the detergent so I can wash them."

"Lame excuse. Just remember that our powers are supposed to only be used to help innocents and to fight demons."

Katie sighed. "Yeah, I know. I have been a witch just as long as you, Ian."

"Yes, but you don't always abide by the rules. You need to set a good example for Kathy."

"She has been a witch all her life!"

"But she hasn't really been using her powers! This life of fighting evil day in and day out is still new to her. And I don't want anything going wrong that happened because someone used their powers for personal gain." Ian ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "She may have been a witch all her life, but to tell the truth, she is the weakest of us. We need to protect her." Katie glanced over Ian's shoulder and saw Kathy standing in the doorway.

"Uh oh..." Ian turned around. A few tears had begun to leak from Kathy's eyes.

"You think I'm weak? That you have to protect me like I am a little girl!"

Ian shook his head. "No, that isn't what I meant."

"Really, 'cause I can quote your exact words saying it. Well guess what, Mr. Tough Guy. I don't need you to protect me. I can take care of myself!" Kathy then turned on her heel and walked out.

"Kathy!" Ian called after her, but the door slammed. Ian groaned. Katie went up to her brother and laid her hand on his shoulder.

"She'll be okay. She knows in her heart that you didn't mean it." Katie looked at Ian's face. "You didn't mean it... right?"

"She just got a new power that blew out her other one completely. Now her telepathy power is out of whack too, so I hear. She is vulnerable right now. She just doesn't see it."

-

Kathy sat at her desk, teardrops dripping down onto a drawing. She didn't notice or care. Her brother and sister thought she was weak. That she needed protection. _I don't need anyone protecting me,_ she thought bitterly. _I just got a new kick ass power. Sure I haven't really been able to use it since down in the Collector's cavern, but I will get it under control soon._ Kathy grabbed a tissue and wiped her eyes. "No more tears," she told herself. "Tears mean that I am weak. And I'm not. I'll show them."

"Show who?" Kathy looked up. Tobias stood in the doorway, looking at her with a frown on his face.

"Tobias. Um... no one. I mean... I was talking about... uh... the magazine! Yeah, I was saying that I will show them how good I am with my next design." Tobias's frown did not go away.

"Right... Well, I just came in to say hello. You didn't say anything to me when you came in earlier." Kathy got up and went over to Tobias.

"Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind." She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

_Man, I love her kisses, _Tobias thought.

"Thank you," Kathy said, smiling. Tobias's frown returned.

"For?"

"You said that you loved my kisses."

"I didn't say that."

Kathy dropped her arms to her sides and groaned. "Damn, I did it again. I could have sworn it was gone, but noooo..." Tobias looked confused.

"Did what again?"

"My power of telepathy is on the fritz. I keep using it to hear people's thoughts without knowing it. And I can't control it."

"Have you talked to your brother and sister?" Tobias asked.

Kathy glared. "Yes. I did. But they were no help. End of discussion." Kathy went back to her desk and sat down.

"Did I say something wrong?" Kathy shook her head.

"No, I just have a lot of work to do. I will talk to you later." She then bent her head and began to try and fix the drawing, which was blurred with tear marks. Tobias stared at Kathy for a second and then left.

-

Ian walked into his office with a mug of coffee in his hand. Sitting down at his desk, he turned on his computer and then leaned back in his chair to wait for the computer to boot up. He sipped his coffee and thought back to that morning. He hadn't meant to hurt Kathy's feelings. Hell, he hadn't even meant for her to hear. But what he had said, he stood by. Kathy was vulnerable at the moment. Ian set his drink down on a coaster on his desk and then looked at his computer. He had decided to write his column that day on Susan's experience. Opening up a new window, Ian began to type.

"Suicide. Definition? A person who kills himself/herself intentionally. I met someone who almost did this yesterday. 'Why were they going to do it?' you ask? 'What would drive a person to take their own life?' Because they said that they hated their life. That there was nothing worth living for. The one that I met had been ridiculed, hurt, and shut out. Just because they were someone that was easy to pick on. Because they wouldn't fight back. Well after quite a long time this person decided that enough was enough. They didn't see any other way out. Death was the only freedom. You may think that this person was older. Had a spouse and a family. But no, that was not the case. This person was a teenager. Someone that has barely had enough time to experience life. And they wanted to take their own. People think that when they say something rude or foul to someone that it doesn't really hurt the person. Sure, they might feel sad or angry for a little bit, but they will just forget about it later. Well that is not the truth. Hurt feelings do not just go away. They nag at a person's insides until the pain is just unbearable and the only way to stop it is through killing themselves. Luckily, this particular person was stopped from doing this act. And they will get help. But none of that help will matter if this person just goes back to being hurt again and again, day after day, by their peers. I ask all my readers to think before they speak or act. Think about how the other person feels. How it could affect them. And then maybe the suicide rate will go down. Maybe people will think that life is worth living. I sure hope so. Because nothing is more valuable than someone's life."

Ian finished the article and then clicked print.

-

"Spaghetti sauce... where is it?" Katie stood in the third aisle of the Supermarket, moving things around on the shelf. She dug farther and then her elbow hit the jar of sauce that she had not seen and knocked it off the shelf. "Oh!" Katie spun and shot out her hands, freezing the jar just before it hit the tile floor. She grabbed the jar out of the air and put it in her cart.

"Katie?" said a voice behind her. Katie turned and saw Trevor walking down the aisle towards her. Her mood lightened and she smiled.

"Hi, Trevor. What are you doing here?"

"Well, my house is low on food so I thought I would come and buy some. I presume you are doing the same?"

Katie nodded. "Yeah. Well, actually I'm just getting a few things for dinner tonight. I am making my special spaghetti."

"Oh, I love spaghetti. Especially with meat balls." Trevor grinned.

"Well... you could come over tonight and have dinner. If you want."

"That would be great! ...I mean, I would really like that."

Katie laughed. "Alright then." Katie pulled out a notepad and a pen. She wrote down the address of the manor and then handed it to Trevor. "Be there at seven. Don't be late."

"I won't be," Trevor said. Katie nodded and then walked off down the aisle. Trevor glanced sideways and saw his reflection in a glass jar. The image changed into that of the Triad leader.

"Report," said the image.

"Tonight. Tonight is when I do it."

-

Ding dong! "Can someone get that!" Katie yelled. She was standing over the oven, stirring the spaghetti.

"I will!" Ian called. He came down the stairs and into the foyer. He opened the door and there stood Trevor. He held a bouquet of red roses. "I am assuming that those are for my sister and not me," Ian said.

Trevor laughed. "You would be correct in your assumption. May I come in?" Ian nodded and stepped aside to let Trevor into the manor. He looked around. "This place is magnificent. Much better than my dirty little apartment."

"It's not as great as it might seem. The house is old and things are always breaking down." Ian led Trevor through the foyer and into the dining room. "Please, sit down." Trevor sat, as did Ian. Katie came in a moment later with a large bowl of spaghetti.

"Hi!" she said. Katie set the bowl down in the center of the table. Trevor handed her the flowers.

"These are for you."

"Oh, thank you!" Katie said, smelling the roses. "They're beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you," Trevor put in. Katie blushed.

"Well," Ian said quickly, "I wonder where Kathy is."

"Right here." Kathy came into the dining room. She wore a black sleeveless shirt and a long black skirt.

"Ah," Trevor said, getting up and going over to Kathy. "I see that beauty runs in the family." He took her hand and kissed it. Kathy smiled while Katie glared.

Ian got up and took his sister's arm. "Why don't you sit down, Kath, so we can eat." During dinner Katie kept shooting glares at Kathy, who smiled at Trevor every time he looked at her. Trevor had gained Kathy's trust; he knew it. And he was able to use his thought projection power against her and Katie, splitting them slowly apart. Trevor had just told a joke and Kathy had laughed the loudest.

Using his power, Trevor directed a thought into Kathy's mind, making it seem as though it had come from Katie. _Tramp._

"Hey!" Kathy yelled, looking at her sister harshly. "What did you just call me?" Katie looked bewildered.

"I didn't say anything!"

"No... more like thought it," Kathy whispered.

Taking another chance, Trevor projected a thought into Katie's mind, while Kathy glared at her. _You are so jealous. Trevor likes me more than you._

"He does not!" Everyone stared at Katie. "I mean... sorry."

Trevor continued to do this for the rest of the meal. And by the end of it, both Katie and Kathy were glaring evilly at each other, not taking their eyes off one another.

"Um," Trevor said, "Maybe I should go."

Ian nodded. "I think that would be best." Ian led Trevor to the door. "Sorry about them. Sisters, you know?"

Trevor shook his head. "Only child." He grinned. "Well, tell Katie I will call her tomorrow." He said goodbye and then went out the door. Ian closed it behind him and Trevor smiled evilly. "It is working." He blinked out and then a second later blinked back into the kitchen of the manor. His whole body shimmered for a moment and he became invisible. Back in the dining room Kathy and Katie were still glaring at each other.

Ian came in and sighed. "You guys... what the hell is wrong?

"Nothing is wrong with me," Kathy said. "She knows that my telepathy is on the fritz. That I would be able to hear her call me a tramp in her thoughts."

"I thought no such thing! You were the one that telepathically said to me that you think I am jealous and that Trevor likes you and not me!"

"What the hell are you talking about? I didn't do that!"

Katie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Sure you didn't."

"I didn't! You are just saying that because you don't really like me. You want me out of the house. I remember the day we met. You were hoping against hope that we were not sisters. I saw the look in your eyes!"

"Well maybe it is true!" Katie cried. "You seem to just be a burden to us. And now with your new power, which you don't even know how to use, you are endangering us more."

"You think I don't know how to use it! Well I found the key! Anger. And lots of it!" A beam of light shot out of Kathy's forehead and blew past Katie, hitting a vase and shattering it.

"Kathy!" Ian yelled. "What the hell are you doing!"

Kathy turned and glared at Ian. "Oh butt out. You think you are oh-so-great and powerful. Well you're not!" Another beam lashed out and hit Ian in the chest, knocking him back and to the wood floor. Kathy had become enraged. She was full of anger. And over in the doorway to the kitchen, an invisible Trevor smiled. It was working. He could feel it. Kathy was edging over to the dark side. Evil was consuming her.

"Kathy, this isn't you!" Katie screeched. She jumped up from her spot at the table, Kathy doing the same.

"Oh it is me. I feel the power now. I am much stronger than you think. Definitely not a weakling!"

Flash! Katie was forced back into a large cabinet from a mind beam of Kathy's. She straightened up and looked at Kathy. "Stop this, Kathy. There is something wrong with you."

"There is nothing wrong with me!" Bam! Katie was knocked back harder into the cabinet. Crack! The glass in the window of the cabinet cracked and Katie slipped to the floor.

Kathy was about to blast Katie again when Ian grabbed her arm and spun her around. "Listen to me Kathy. Something is not right. This isn't you. I know it. You are a kind and sensitive person. You are good. You understand that? Now knock this off."

"Shut up!" Kathy yelled, shooting a beam at Ian, knocking him back again.

_Finish them off, _Kathy heard. She blinked at the voice, trying to remember where she had heard it before. Kath turned and walked into the kitchen, slamming her hands down on the counter.

"I know you're in here," Kath said, angrily. Trevor shimmered in.

"Did you not hear me clearly? I said finish them off!"

"Trevor! ...But aren't you Katie's—"

"Yeah, yeah, but you're the one I want," Trevor said, pulling her close to him, wrapping an arm around her waist. "You and I could lead the Underworld," he whispered.

"You're insane, get off of me," Kathy said, struggling.

"See?" Trevor said, laughing lowly. "You're anger is so... arousing," he said, kissing her neck. Kathy shot a beam and he fell back.

"That's just one step too far," she said, glaring. Ian walked in about that time.

"Kathy—" But before he could finish, he was against the cabinets from another beam.

"Not now, I'm busy," Kathy said, still glaring at Trevor.

"Ah, you have evil and you know it," Trevor said darkly. Kathy blinked for a second. "Just come with me."

"What is he talking about?" Ian said, groaning. Kathy turned to her brother. "Hey now, don't look at me again." Kathy stared into her brothers soft blue eyes, intensified by fear. They cut through her. "You're right..." Kathy said softly to Ian. "I don't know what happened to me."

Trevor grabbed Kath's arm quickly. "No, I won't let you—"

Ian threw up his hands and Trevor flew back. "Don't touch my sister," he said. Kathy walked over and helped him up, giving Ian a hug.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"Trevor?" Katie said, entering the kitchen, rubbing her head. "You... you're a demon?"

"No. A warlock. And you never suspected a thing. None of you did. And I was so close to turning Kathy. But you," he said, looking at Ian, "you ruined everything. You got through to your sister. But no matter. I will just have to come back and destroy you all myself." And with that he blinked out. Katie walked briskly out of the kitchen and collapsed down into a chair, tears streaming from her eyes.

"I thought that he really liked me. He was so wonderful." Kathy patted her sister's arm.

"Hey, it's okay. You would have had to find out sometime. And Katie... I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Katie whispered, staring down at the floor.

"Look," Ian said, "we can't waste any time. He said he would be back. Now we have to take him out before he makes his move. Okay?" His sisters nodded. "Alright then. Let's go."

Up in the attic the three were gathered around the Book of Shadows. They had found Trevor. But that was not his real name. "Lobart," Ian said. "This lower level warlock may not be very powerful, but he is smart and cunning. He uses his three powers in unison. The power of invisibility to sneak in undetected. His power of telepathy to find out the secrets of others. And his power of thought projection to turn people against each other. Lobart has done so well that he has not even had to fight his targets. He just turns them against each other and they do all the work by themselves. Since no one has yet survived an encounter with Lobart, there is no known vanquish." Ian sighed. "I guess we will just have to make one ourselves. But first we have to find him."

"We could use some rose petals from the flowers he gave me to scry for him," Katie piped in.

Ian nodded. "That should work. And I can make a spell."

"What should I do?" Kathy asked.

"Just sit tight," Katie said. She was still mournful and hadn't talked much since they had left the dining room. She got up and went downstairs to get some petals.

Ian laid his hand on Kathy's shoulder. "Hey, it's alright. She isn't mad at you. She just... hasn't really ever had luck with men. And when she finds someone... something always happens to destroy her relationship. And we know you are not weak."

"Obviously," Kathy said, grinning.

"You complete our power. Without you... we would be dead by now."

"True. I have saved your guy's butts a few times, haven't I?"

Ian nodded with a small laugh. "And we have done the same for you. But then again, we three have a bond that will never be broken. Not by spells, not by jealousy. Nothing. We have the Power of Three. And nothing can stop us from sticking together." Ian turned and picked up some paper off of a low table. "Now come on and help me with this spell."

-

"You have failed us! You said you would get the job done and you didn't." Trevor was standing a dark room of an abandoned household. The place was coated with dust and spider webs hung from the ceiling. He was looking into a cracked mirror where three cloaked images looked back at him.

"Look, I'm sorry. I can come up with another plan. I won't fail you again."

"That's for sure. Because we shall not give you another chance. You had—" The cloaked figure on the left stopped. For a flurry of blue lights had just appeared in the room. And then there stood Katie, Kathy, and Ian. The images disappeared and Trevor turned around.

"Hello Trevor," Katie said with anger in her voice. "Or should I say Lobart."

"It is no matter that you now know who I am. I will destroy you all." Kathy snorted.

"Yeah right. I think you are mistaking the odds. There are three of us and only one of you." Trevor grinned.

"You can't destroy me if you can not see me." He shimmered and then became invisible. His evil laughter filled the room, echoing off the dampened walls.

"Kathy," Ian said, holding out his hands for defense, "Use your power of telepathy to sense where he is." Kathy nodded and then concentrated on using her power. She felt his presence... over to the... left! Kathy spun and shot a beam of light where she sensed the warlock. Trevor flickered back, a bloody scrape on his face.

"Ah, again with the anger?" Trevor said, shimmering away.

"This time I have a reason to be mad," Kathy said, blasting another beam. Suddenly, the dust became unsettled as an unseen object fell with a grunt. Ian thrust out his hands. Bam! Trevor reappeared, but one arm was missing.

"AHHH!" he cried. Trevor cradled what was left of his limb.

"Spell!" Katie yelled. Ian pulled out the piece of paper. The room was dim, but they could still make out the writing. "Telepathy, thought projection, and invisibility. All these powers we do thwart, to vanquish you with the Power of Three!"

"NO!" Trevor screamed out in pain. His body writhed and his skin began to tear. BOOM! And with a large explosion, Trevor was gone.

"Well, we did it," Kathy said, dusting herself off.

"Yeah. But who was he talking to when we orbed in?" Katie asked in wonderment. Ian shook his head.

"I don't know. And I really don't want to. Now let's go home."

-

"Lobart has been destroyed. Just like I knew he would be. I told you that Warlocks were no match for these witches." The hooded figures stood in their circle, conferring with each other.

"True, he was not strong enough to defeat them. But he came close," said the leader.

The bearded one sighed. "None that have gone up against those witches have prevailed. Even when there were only two."

"No," said the leader. "There is one who has the power."

"Who? Another warlock?" asked one who had a young face, but it was filled with evil.

"Indeed. He is a warlock. But a very powerful one. He went up against the witches before. He did not destroy them... but on the other hand, they didn't even come close to destroying him."

"And who is he?" asked the bearded one.

The leader waited a moment before answering. "Jarel."


	33. Cry of A Banshee

**_Episode Eight: Cry Of A Banshee_****__**

Kathy sat at her desk working on a new fashion project she had. She had been doodling the other day and her boss had come up behind her and saw some schetches of a dress. He said he loved it and wanted it to be in their next Fashion Magazine issue. Kathy had agreed... but now she had to work double time to get everything right and send it to the people who made the clothes.

Oh I am never going to finish... Kathy muttered to herself in a whisper.

Finish what? Kathy spun around in her chair, startled. Tobias stood there holding two large mugs of coffee.

Tobias, hi. Are one of those for me? Kathy pointed to one of the mugs. Tobias nodded and set one down on Kathy's desk. Thank you so much. I really needed some coffee.You're welcome. Now, I ask again. Finish what?Oh! Well I am working on this new project, and I have to finish it in time for the next magazine issue. Which means I have about... two days. After that they wont have time to make the dress. Tobias nodded and moved closer to the desk. He pulled a few papers toward himself and looked at the design.

This is good. It looks good. I am sure you will finish in time.Thank you. But... there is just something wrong with it. I want to put a belt with roses imprinted on it around the waistband... Kathy took one of the papers and showed Tobias what she meant. ... But I am just not sure if it will blend well with the rest of the dress. Lavender and dark red...Well you could darken the dress to match the dark red in the roses, Tobias said, outlining Kathy's sketches with his fingers.

Kathy said, pondering it. She brought up her sketch on her computer, and fooled around with the color schemes, making the dress the same color as the red of the roses. She tilted her head and tapped her cheek with a pencil while looking back and forth from her computer monitor to the drawing.

Tobias said, taking the mouse. We could... Suddenly Tobias' phone rang from his office. Be right back, he said, jogging across the hallway to his office. Kathy's eyes followed him, and then went back to the dress.

I always wanted a big break like this, but I didn't expect it to break my back over all this perfection! she mumbled, while sipping her coffee. Tobias came back into the room. His face held a strong look of sadness. "What is it?" Kathy asked, setting her mug down.

"Um... well it wasn't for me. They just got the wrong number for the office. But well... it was for you. It was the police. Kathy, I'm really sorry. But your parents are dead."

---

Ian and Kathy were at the apartment of Kathy's adoptive parents. Katie was out of town on a business trip. The police had suggested that they come see the scene. "It just doesn't make much sense," said the officer who was speaking with the two siblings. "It seems that most of their bodies were burned away by acid. But there is no other residue of acid or any other evidence that supports that." Ian glanced at Kathy. Tears were streaming down her face.

"Kath... maybe I should just check this out and you stay out here."

No, she said, wiping her tears. She never liked crying, and was embarrassed to do so, especially in front of her brother. Can you excuse us? she said to the policeman. He nodded and left back to his squad car. Ian, listen. You know as well as I do that something is up. Acid, but no acid residue? She sighed. I think you should go home. This isn't really involved with you. Besides, I'd rather be left alone, she said, walking away towards the curb, sitting on it.

Ian sat next to Kathy. "I am involved. You are my sister, and this is your family that was killed. And... it seems to me that it was done by a demon. I want to take a look around the apartment and see if I can get a premonition."

Kathy nodded absentmindedly, looking down at the ground. She knew she was in denial, and would be for a while. Though they weren't blood relatives, they were the ones that inspired her day to day life as a child. It hurt so much that she couldn't think straight, and just looked up the stairs to the door of their old apartment. She began to regret not spending more time with them after she left home, and especially not informing them of... well recent magical events in her life. Suddenly a hand was on her shoulder and she turned quickly. It was Tobias. She looked at him for a while and then stood up and fell in to his arms, burying her face of never-ending flow tears into his chest.

Ian glanced at Tobias, and he nodded. Ian then turned and left the two. He went into the apartment and up to Kathy's parents place. The police were there. "You can touch things if you want. Forensics have already been through here." Ian nodded and went in. When he saw the corpses he almost screamed and ran out. The bodies were burned away. Their flesh gone, and most of the muscles and organs. Ian could see the bone, half dissolved by whatever had done this. Closing his eyes Ian knelt down and touched one of the bodies.

He instantly got a vision. He saw a demon appear in the room, Kathy's Dad try to fight it off. Then the demon slammed its hands, palms down, onto both the parents chests. Their flesh burned away and the bodies fell to the floor.

Ian opened his eyes as the vision ended. Well at least we know it was a demon, he whispered to himself.

---

Back outside Kathy clung to Tobias, sobbing into his chest. It's not fair... it's not fair! she screamed.

I know, but there was nothing you could do. Kathy pulled away from Tobias and glared at him.

How do you know? I am a witch... I have powers... I could have stopped this.I don't know! She turned away and continued to sob. Tobias put his hand on her shouler, but Kathy threw it off. Just leave me alone! She then ran off down the street. Tobias sighed.

Where's Kathy? Tobias turned around to see Ian walking towards him.

Gone. She ran off. I think she needs some time to herself.There isn't time for that. A demon killed her parents and it might go after her. And in the state she is in... I don't think she would be able to protect herself.

Tobias nodded. Then we have to find her. Come on, follow me.

---

Kathy sat on top of the monkey bars that she used to play on when she was young. Tears were streaming from her face. Her parents, the people who had raised her all her life, were gone. Killed by a demon. It's not fair... she whispered.

Motion. Someone else was there. Kathy looked up and wiped her tears from her face. Standing near her was a demon. Dark green. Kathy had seen one like this before at the manor. Just another demon that had hoped to kill her and her siblings. She had later looked him up in the Book Of Shadows; Scavenger demon. Now everything clicked. A Scavenger demon had the power to shoot acid waves out of its hands. This was the demon. He was the one who had killed her parents.

Anger swelled up in Kathy. she said in a hoarse voice. You killed my parents.

The demon nodded. I knew that by killing them it would draw you here. And then you would want to be alone. And then I could kill you. Then the Power Of Three would be broken. He raised his hands, directed them to the poles that held the monkey bars up, and shot acid waves. They burned through the poles and the whole thing collapsed.

Kathy screamed and fell among the wreckage. The demon came forward as Kathy got to her feet. She concentrated and shot a beam from her forhead, knocking the demon onto his back. I am not as helpless as I seem. A green gooey whip lashed out and wrapped around her hand. The demon got up from the ground and pulled back on the whip. He then pulled up, sending Kathy flying over. She landed in a heap on the dirt.

Ian and Tobias came running up. Ian knelt down beside his sister. Are you ok? Kathy groaned and sat up.

Yeah... fine. She then pointed at the demon. Him. He is the one who killed my parents!

The Scavenger demon smirked. Well you are not alone anymore... but I can still win this fight.

Ian stood up. Oh yeah? He raised his hands, but Tobias stepped forward. A massive breath of cold wind blasted out from his mouth. It instantly froze the demon solid when it hit. Ian said. Demons on ice. I didn't know you had that power.

Tobias smiled. Now you do. Kathy got to her feet.

This is for my parents. A beam of light shot from her head and hit the frozen in ice demon, shattering him. Kathy turned and walked away.

Ok... that was interesting. Tobias and Ian followed Kathy back to the car.

---

Ian knocked on Kathy's bedroom door. Kathy? You ok? Ian turned the knob and opened the door. Kathy sat on her bed with a map and a scrying crystal. Kath... what ya doing?What does it look like I am doing? I am scrying for demons. They are all going down... and I will be the one to take them out. The crystal landed. Got one. Kathy got up and grabbed her coat off a chair.

Uh... Kath? I know you are hurting, but getting yourself killed is not the way to go. You are still new at this kinda thing and I don't think this is the right time to go looking for trouble.

Kathy glared at Ian. And are you going to stop me?Whoa, where did that come from? I am just saying that this is not such a good idea.Well I take into account your concern... and I will see you later. Kathy brushed past him and walked out of the room.

Hey! Wait up! Ian ran after Kathy.

---

Kathy's car came to a screeching stop. The door opened and Kathy got out. On the other side Ian got out as well. Well this is a surprise. Dark and dreary parking lot, at night I might add. Can't demons ever be somewhere other than here? Ian shivered. He had forgotten to grab his coat.

Quit your complaining. We have a demon to vanquish.I still don't think this is a good idea. We have no idea who this guy... or girl... is. We might not be ready.I'm ready. If you are not... go home. Ian sighed and walked over to his sister.

Look it is just that I- DOWN! Ian pulled Kathy down and a fireball flew over them. I think we found the demon! The two got up and saw a tall bearded demon in a trench coat walking towards them.

Who are you? This is my territory! Ian asked. This is a public parking lot.Not at night. At night I run this region. This is where I do my business. And you are not authorized to be here. Now I ask again. Who are you?

Kathy sighed. Enough chat! She focused and a bright beam of light shot from her forehead. It hit the demon in the chest and he fell to the cement.

Witches... you are witches! he said, standing up.

Kathy shot another beam and knocked the demon back down.

Once again standing the demon said, You will pay. He waved his hand and three other demons shimmered in behind him.

You called? one of them asked.

Yes. Now destroy the witches!

The three demons rushed toward Ian and Kathy. One conjured an energy ball and flung it at Ian. Levitating into the air he was able to avoid the attack. Landing softly Ian flicked his hands at his attacker, causing him to be vaporized. Ian looked over at Kathy to see her shooting a barrage of beams from her forehead at a nearby demon. But the demon was protected by some kind of light blue shield that was in front of him.

I've never seen a demon with that power, Ian whispered to himself. But there was no time to think. The remaining demon, a female demon, was advancing. She thrust out her arm, but Ian blocked it. She tried again. Another block.

Ah... so we have a martial arts expert here? I doubt you are as good as me. She spun around and swung with her arm. Ian ducked and then quickly shot a punch to the demon's stomach. She gasped for breath and bent down. Ian took this moment to thrust up with his knee, hitting the demon in the face. She reeled back and Ian spun around and gave a hard kick to the demon's chest. She stumbled back and then glared up at Ian.

You demons are such boasters. I am obviously better than you. With a quick wave of his hands Ian destroyed the demon. He turned to Kathy. She was still firing off beams at her attacker. But his shield was holding. Ian could see the demon that they first encountered here lurking behind her. She was so intent on trying to get through the shield that she must not detect the demon with her telepathy. Kathy! Look out! Kathy turned just as a fireball shot from the lead demon's hand. She was hit in the shoulder and fell to the ground. Ian yelled, rushing to his sister. He bent down next to her. You ok? she said, getting up. The two demons now stood next to each other.

Well now the standings are even. Two against two. But just to be safe, we will be leaving now.Oh no you don't, Kathy said. She pulled a knife out of her coat and threw it at the lead demon. It hit him in the stomach. He yelled out in pain and then exploded in a burst of flame. The remaining demon stared at the scorch mark on the ground and then looked up at Kathy. She shot a beam at him, knocking him over. Kathy then went and picked up the knife as the demon stood up. She jabbed it into him and twisted the blade. Smoke came from the demon's eyes and then he vaporized. Kathy put away the knife and began to walk back to the car. Let's go!Right... ok then, Ian said as he followed his sister back to the car.

---

Hey Katie. How are ya? Ian walked into the living room and sat down on the couch with the phone. It was the next day, but Ian was still recovering from the shock of seeing Kathy be so ruthless.

I'm good. Is everything alright there? You sound... strange.Oh it must be the phone doing something with my voice. Everything is fine here. Just fine... Kathy came down the stairs and headed for the door, putting her coat on as she went. Oh, Kate, I gotta go. Talk to you later! Ian hung up and ran after his sister. Hey! You are not going anywhere, missy. We almost got killed yesterday.But we wern't killed... so there ya go!That is not the point! We cannot be risking our lives going up against demons that we are not prepared for. And we are also not at full strength here.

Kathy smirked. Ian, you have the strongest power of all of us. You can easily blow the demons up. So what is the problem?I can't blow all the demons up! And what if we find a demon that takes the Power Of Three to vanquish? We don't have that right now!The Power Of Two will just have to be enough. Now are you coming or not? With that, Kathy walked out the door.

Ugh! The things I go through as a brother... Ian grabbed his coat and ran out the door after his sister.

---

Ian dived and tackled Kathy to the ground as an energy ball flew at her and hit the wall of the alleyway. Ow... this is all your fault!Just shut up and use your power! Ian turned to the demon and threw up his hands, vanquishing the threat. Good work. Now... next demon!No! Not next demon, Ian said, getting up and brushing himself off. We are going home and we are staying there.We can't exactly destroy all evil if we sit around in the manor.Well we are not going to go out and destroy all evil. We have almost gotten killed three times in the past two days. I kinda want to take a break. And Kathy... this is not you. You are in some kind of mourning state. And if you keep this up you are going to get yourself killed.Well maybe that's what I want! Kathy screamed, tears coming to her eyes. My parents... the people that raised me all my life... are gone. They are dead and I will never get to see them again! And do you know why they are dead? Because of me! It is because I am a witch. And ever since I was united with you guys, I have been put on the demon radar. And now my parents had to die... just so a demon could get to me! Kathy covered her face with her hands and sunk to the ground against the wall.

Oh, Kathy... Ian said, sitting next to his sister. I know the pain that you are going through. My parents were killed by a demon too. And it was hard... it was really hard to accept that they were gone forever. But you know what? I got through it. Because I still had family. And so do you... You have Katie and me. And we will always be there for you. No matter what.

Before Kathy could say anything there was a loud screeching noise. Kathy looked up. What was that?I have no idea... The noise got louder and louder... and then something jumped off the roof of one of the buildings and into the alley. She had long white hair and was tall. She wore light gray robes, that hung loosely around her. Oh... what the hell is that? She turned towards the two siblings and opened her mouth, letting out a horrible screech. Ian screamed, clasping his hands to his ears. It must be a demon!

The demon ran forward and hit Ian hard, sending him flying. He landed on the ground with a hard thump. The demon then turned to Kathy. Kathy didn't move... just stared up into the deadly blue eyes. The demon opened her mouth again and screamed right in Kathy's face. Kathy's eyes went up into her head and she collapsed.

Ian got up from the ground. The demon turned to him and opened her mouth. Oh no you don't, Ian said, and threw up his hands. The demon exploded, her evil screech being cut off instantly. Ian rushed to Kathy's side. Kath? Kathy, are you alright?

Kathy sat up. She said not a word. Suddenly, her hair grew longer and changed white... she continued to transform and then became the thing that had attacked her.

Kathy? What happened? Ian stood up and backed away a step. Kathy stood as well. Her clothes had also transformed into large gray robes. She opened her mouth and let out a scream. Ian yelled, backing away even more. Kathy then leaped up into the air. Up and up, onto the roof top. And then she was gone.

Ian said to himself, walking into the attic, my sister has turned into some kind of creature and run off. And my other sister is out of town. Typical, run of the mill day for me... Ian opened the Book Of Shadows and began to go through it. Gotta find that thing... and why am I talking to myself? Oh right, because I am insane.

He turned another page and stopped. He had found the demon. Banshee: A banshee is a demon who wanders the Earth feeding on souls in great pain. This demon uses her voice as a high-pitched call to locate a victim by hearing the inner cry. She does this by honing in on the waves of pain that emanate from the stricken. When she locates the victim, her cry turns into a lethal scream which causes a person's blood vessels to burst. When a banshee targets her scream at a witch, it turns the witch into a banshee... Well that's what happened to Kathy. Ian looked at next page. And here is a spell to track a Banshee. Well... I need candles.

Ian went and got everything ready for the spell. When he was finished he stood in the middle of a circle of candles and began to read the spell. The piercing cry that feeds on pain, And leaves more sorrow than it gains, Shall now be heard by one who seeks, To stop the havoc that it wreaks. There was a flash of light and nothing else. Ok...' Ian thought. That did nothing... but I feel shorter.' He turned and looked into a mirror. Ian almost screamed, but he couldn't. I'm a dog! A very cool looking dog... but I'm dog!' The spell had turned Ian into a dog, because they can hone in on the Banshees.

Ok... this must be part of the spell. I don't like this part though... Wait a minute. Do I smell bacon! NO! Do not think about bacon. I have to find Kathy... somehow.' Ring ring! Oh the phone! That must be Katie! She can orb back here and help!' Ian ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. Crap! It's all the way up on the table. And on second thought... how am I supposed to answer the phone?' Ring ring! Great... I'm a dog, I can't answer the phone, and my sister is a Banshee. Lucky me.'

Beep! Hi, this is Ian. Katie and Kathy live here too... which kinda sucks, but yeah. Leave a message after the beep.

Beep! Hey, Ian. It's Katie, of course.You have to change that thing, or else I will kill you. I am just checking up. You seemed kind of strange earlier on the phone. I will be back home in a couple of days, so don't vanquish any demons without me! Bye.Yeah... well you are a little late coming with that request. Now... what am I gonna do!'

Door open! Open!' Ian slammed his paws against the door. How am I supposed to save my sister if I can't even get out of the house!' Ian jumped up and latched onto the knob with his mouth. He then turned his head and then pulled. The door came open. Yes!' Ian cried, rushing outside and down the steps. I am super dog!'

He ran down the sidewalk with lighting speed. Wait a minute.' Ian stopped. Where am I going?'

Hey pooch. Ian turned. A short, middle aged man, was walking towards him. Are ya lost, pooch?No, I'm not. I know exactly where I am.' The man came closer and looked Ian over.

You don't have any collar. Where did ya come from, pooch?Ok, if you call me pooch one more time I will rip your arm off. I am serious, dude.'

The man bent down and pet Ian on the head. Well... I guess I will have to take you to the pound. They will make some calls and find your owner.What? No! I can't go to the pound! I have to find my sister!' The man lifted Ian up and started to carry him to his car. Let me go! I have to find Kathy! LET GO!' Ian struggled, but the man was strong. He put Ian in the backseat of the car and then closed the door. A moment later the man got into the front. No!' Ian slammed his whole body into the door.

Hey, pooch. It's alright. No one is gonna hurt ya. The man started the car and then pulled out into the street.

Ian lunged at the back window and put his paws up on it. Alright. Let's add the things up now. One sister is out of town. One is a Banshee. And I am a dog stuck in a cage. This sucks.' Ian sat on the hard cement floor in a wire cage. There were dogs all around him, barking their heads off. Oh shut up!' The dogs continued to bark. Ok... let me think. There has to be some way to get out of here... I hope.' Ian looked around. There wern't any humans there. Just a lot of dogs. Hmmm... the latch. If I can get that latch open, then maybe I can escape.'  
  
**_Ian jumpd up and grabbed the latch with his mouth. He got the cage door open and ran out. Hey, someone stop that dog! A man ran out from behind a corner and chased Ian. Someone was opening the entrance door. Close the door! Close it!_**

But Ian shot through and ran off down the street. I'm free! Whoo! Yeah!' Ian stopped for a quick pit stop behind a tree a couple blocks away and then set out again. Now if I were a Banshee... where would I be?'

Ian felt a tingle go through his body and then he felt like he was being told to go to the right. Ian turned right and ran down the sidewalk. He felt a strong pull, like something was leading him along. Well dogs are supposed to be the ones able to track Banshees. I guess this is how it is done.'

---

About fifteen minutes later Ian sped into an abandoned junk yard. He sensed that he hd to go to the center. It was hard to concentrate though. There were so many smells that distracted him. Gotta find Kathy. Gotta find Kathy. Gotta find-- Hey, is that an old shoe? No! Bad Ian. You have to find your sister.'

He hopped over a tire and then went around a huge pile a broken and rusted metal. He had reached the center of the junk yard. And there stood Kathy in her Banshee form, about to unleash a deadly scream upon a defenseless hobo that lay on the dirty ground. The man was shivering in terror, too scared to scream for help.

Ian barked and Kathy glanced up. She sneered when she saw Ian, but then turned back to the poor man.

Kathy! No!' Kathy's head shot up and she stared at Ian. Yes! It's me. Now I know you can hear me. I know this because you are still a witch deep down inside. You are not a pure Banshee yet. And as a witch you have the power of telepathy. And with that you can hear my thoughts.'

Kathy tilted her head. She seemed confused.

Come on Kathy! Change back! Now I know that you are in pain. Your parents died. It hurts, I know. But you have to move on! And Katie and I can help you do that. We love you with all that we are. Nothing will ever change that. No matter what happens, no matter how bad things might get, we will always be there. You, Katie, and I are siblings. We have a bond that nothing can break. You have to understand that. Now come on... change back. Please Kathy. Change back.'

Kathy stared for a minute more. The man on the ground looked from Kathy to Ian and then ran off. Kathy did not go after him. A tear rolled down her face. Her hair darkened and shrank back to it's normal size. And her clothes changed back as well. She was Kathy again.

Kathy fell to hers knees and sobbed. Ian felt a strange sensation and then he was himself again as well. He went to his sister and kneeled down next to her. Ian wrapped his arms around Kathy and put his chin on her head. She leaned into him and continued to cry.

Ssh... It's ok. Everything will be ok now, Ian said in a hushed whisper. Tears now seeped from his eyes.

The two sat there for a long time. The sun set, but they did not move. And the whole time Ian just kept saying that it would all be ok.

---

I'm home! Katie closed the door of the manor behind her and set down her bags. Ian came into the foyer and she smiled. Hi! I'm back!I see that, Ian said. How was your trip?It was good. I did a lot of work, but I had a good time. Katie hung her coat on the hook and then asked, So where is Kathy? Ian's face fell and he shifted his eyes. What? What's wrong? Ian sighed and then told Katie everything that had happened over the past few days. Oh my god, Katie said, putting her hand to her mouth. How... How is she? Where is she?She is upstairs in her room. Katie made a move to run up to Kathy's room, but Ian stopped her. Let her be right now. She needs a little time by herself after all that just happened. Let's get you unpacked first and then we can see how she is doing.

Katie nodded. 

---

Kathy sat on her bed holding a picture of her parents in her hands. Her face was tear stained but she had cried all the tears that she possibly could. She had accepted that her parents were not coming back. But she knew that she wasn't alone. Katie and Ian were with her.

And she still had a destiny to fufill. There were still innocents to save and demons to vanquish. Kathy set the picture down on her bedside table and sighed. Goodbye Mom. Goodbye Dad. I'll see you again. I promise.

**__**

End Of Episode Eight: Cry Of A Banshee

Episode Nine preview: On a mission to save her brother, Katie King will be injured in a way that could affect her life... forever. It's an all new Charmed World, Lost Sense.


	34. Lost Sense

**_Episode Nine: Lost Sense_****__**

Ian stood on the porch with Amanda, whom he had gone out with that night. The two had gone to dinner and then a nice walk through Central Park. "I had a really good time tonight," Ian said.

Amanda smiled. "Me too. I really hope we can do it again soon." They leaned in to kiss and Katie opened the door.

"Ian! Do you know what time it is! You have work tomorrow. Now come on."

Ian glared at Katie. "Kate... I think I can take care of myself. Now... go away."

Katie shook her head. "Am I the only sensible one here? Now get inside. Come on, come on."

Ian sighed and said goodnight to Amanda. She left and Ian went in. "What the hell was that!" Ian yelled. "Are you my mother or something?"

"Someone has to be. If I wasn't, then you'd probably be dead by now." Katie smiled and threw herself on the couch.

"You have to interrupt my date! Would I ever do that to you? No. I don't think so. What is wrong with you? You have been acting strange... again."

"Like I said, it's late and you have work tomorrow." Katie shrugged. She turned on the TV. "And nothing is wrong with me, she said, not wanting to tell Ian she was jealous of Ian and Kathy because they had someone who cared for them.

Ian sighed. "Well you have work too, ya know." He sighed again. "Well then I guess I am off to bed, MOTHER!" Ian then went up the stairs, brushing past Kathy on her way down.

Kathy plopped on the couch next to Katie, staring at Ian, while talking on the phone. ".. Uh huh... okay then... I'll see you tomorrow for dinner? Good... I love you too." she hung up the phone and sighed. "So what's up sis?" she said with a dazed, love struck smile at the ceiling.

Katie frowned. "Nothing," she said shortly.

"Ahh.. okay then... I'm going to go to bed now... Big day tomorrow! It's me and Tobias's one year anniversary of dating..." she sighed, not recognizing her sister's odd choice of tone, but picking up a disgruntled feeling.

"Good for you." Katie got up and quickly walked upstairs to her room without another word. As she got ready for bed, she muttered various things about her jealousy of Ian and Kathy.

---

The next morning Ian was doing a little workout before heading off to King's Corner. He had set up a punching bag in the basement and was visualizing it being a demon. "HIYA! Take that you oversized puss ball!" Ian slammed his fist into the bag, backed up a foot and then ended the workout with a roundhouse kick. "The good guys win again!"

Katie walked down the stairs to the basement. "The good guys win again, eh?"

Ian turned around to see Katie. Panting slightly he said, "Oh, hey. I was just getting in a little workout before leaving." Ian went over and sat on the bottom stair, wiping sweat from his face.

"Ah." Katie had stopped halfway down. "I could hear you all the way in the living room you know."

"Well... I am pretty loud when I fight demons. Have to get into the same... fung shuay when just practicing." Ian smiled. "So is Kathy here, or did she already head off to work?"

"Her boyfriend came and picked her up," Katie said, a bit more bitterly than she intended. "Ok, um, I'm going to go to work too. See ya." She practically ran back up the stairs and out the door.

"Weird..." Ian got up. "Ok Mr. Punch bag. One more time." Ian then ran at the punch bag and screamed, "HIYA!"

---

Kath drew aimlessly on her drawing pad, erasing her stray marks. The day seemed to slowly pass, the clock ticking slowly in the back of her mind. She'd do anything to be on the company cruise right now, but nooo... she had to stay. But at least she was there with Tobias.

Kath smiled as she glanced out the window at him as he concentrated deeply. Kath looked around to see a vacant office outside her office window. "Ah come on, let's just leave!" she typed on AIM.

"I can't. Deadlines are catching up with me." he typed back.

"Well I'm hitting the road. I'll see you tonight?" she typed as slid her papers into her briefcase.

"You bet. Later!" he typed. Grabbing her coat, coffee and briefcase, she left the office with quick kiss in the air to Tobias.

---

Ian sat at the bar of King's Corner, talking on the phone. "But I have been planning to have them play here for weeks. ... I talked to them. They didn't tell you? Well just let me... hello? Hello? UGH!" Ian hung up the phone and set it down on the bar. "Damn asshole... I wish I could just blow that manager to pieces!"

"You won't be doing that to anyone ever again," came a voice from behind Ian.

Ian turned around to see a man there in a suit. His eyes glowed red. "Great. A demon has come to kill me. Like that is going to make me happy!" Ian jumped up and blocked the demon's punch that he threw. Spinning, Ian swung his arm, striking the demon across the face. He then brought his leg up and gave a sharp kick to his opponents chest, knocking him to the floor. "Looks like my training this morning paid off."

The demon smirked. "Not as well as you might think!" He threw an electrical blast and it hit Ian, sending him back into the bar. Ian fell to the floor, unconscious.

---

Kath was out to lunch, and was driving out on the town. She glanced through the windshield of her car, looking around for a good spot to eat. "Ugh, I'm starved!" she whined.

Turning the corner, she saw King's Corner, and decided to pull in for a quick bite. She walked towards the door and stop cold in her tracks. There was an odd crashing sound inside. 'Odd...' she thought. Upon entering, she saw what appeared to be a normal man, but as he turned it was obvious he wasn't. His cold red eyes glimmered with evil and anger.

"Be at the pier tonight at midnight exactly with your Book of Shadows. No tricks, or your brother dies." Suddenly he disappeared with Ian.

Kath, being the paranoid person she was, took her cell phone out of her purse. "Come on Katie, answer, answer, answer!" Katie answered her cell phone while typing a list of supplies on a computer. "Answer, answer!" she heard Kathy say frantically.

"I'm answering, I'm answering," Katie replied. "What's wrong?"

"Ian, he's gone!" she said, looking around for any food. She always ate when she was nervous. "I came here to eat, and there was a demon here! He said something about the Book, and left with Ian!"

"Whoa, wait, calm down. Lemme orb over there..." Katie abruptly hung up the phone and, after checking to see if anyone was around, orbed to the club. "Ok, so you said that a demon said something about the Book?"

"Yeah, he said something to the effect of if we didn't bring the Book of Shadows he'd kill Ian." she said absentmindedly, looking under the bar for anything, and pulling up a satisfactory bowl of peanuts up.

"Oh God. Where do we bring it to?"

"... The... pier." Kathy said in between mouthfuls of peanuts.

"Gimme that!" Katie said, grabbing the bowl of peanuts away from Kathy. "Concentrate! We can't give him the Book... But we can't lose Ian either."

Kath reached for the bowl and finally gave up, sitting down on a bar stool and pouted. "Well if you want me to think, I'm going to need some food! I didn't eat breakfast this morning and I'm starved! Someone ate my Goldfish stash at work too! So, GIMME THOSE PEANUTS!"

Katie stared at Kathy for a moment. "... Damn, you're touchy when you're hungry." She gave back the peanuts. "Now. We need some sort of plan."

Kathy smiled and ate the peanuts. "Plan... what... kind of... plan?" she asked between mouthfuls again.

"A plan that gets Ian back but doesn't give up the Book." She hopped up to sit on a chair at the bar. After thinking for a few minutes, she said, "Alright, I've got an idea. Come on." Katie grabbed Kathy's arm while she snatched the bowl of peanuts. Then they orbed to the manor.

---

Ian opened his eyes and looked around. It was night and Ian could hear the sloshing of water, and smell the strong scent of fish in the air. "What the...? Where am I?" There was the sound of someone moving and then Ian saw a shadowy figure in the dim light.

"You are at the pier. You are my bait so to speak. Your sisters will not let you die. They will bring your Book Of Shadows to me. Then I will be unstoppable."

Ian laughed. "Evil can't touch that book. Not since we put a spell on it to protect it from evil." The figure came closer.

"Oh I don't think it will be a problem... I have a little potion that will allow me to hold it." Ian wanted to blow the demon up. Yet he was tied to a pole and he couldn't move his hands.

"You'll never win. Evil never wins." The demon came up really close to Ian, his face right there that Ian could clearly see his features.

Well tonight evil will win. It is not going to be a happy ending for you."

---

Look, Tobias, I'm sorry. But a family emergency has come up and I can't go out tonight. Yes, don't worry about it. Ok, I will call you tomorrow. Bye. Kathy hung up the phone and sat down at the kitchen table.

"Alright. So we gotta find a spell to copy the book. Then we give it to the demon and he won't be any wiser until he's long gone, right?" Katie said. She sat at the kitchen table, the Book open in front of her.

Kathy lied her head on the table. "I'm sorry, I don't write spells. I just say them. And I am really tired."

"Coffee's on the counter," Katie told her, jerking her head in the direction of the coffee pot. "And you'll have to learn to, in cases where me and/or Ian aren't here to make one."

Kath stood up and poured herself some coffee, drinking some while sitting back down. "Okay, what time is it? We've only got a few hours left!" she suddenly remembered.

"It's ten. Yes, I know we only have two hours left!" Katie's nerves were short, the current problem having stressed her out. "Found a spell. And look, it says here that if it's a magical book you're copying, the pages are blank. It is for security reasons. That should work well."

"Well let's get started. I need a brother more than beauty rest, but this is insane..." Kath mumbled while sipping her only source of being awake.

Ignoring her sister, Katie continued reading from the Book. "Before you say the spell, you must get all the ingredients ready. While saying the spell, put all ingredients into the caldron. Also, put 4 candles around the object to be copied." Katie looked up. "Where are the candles?"

"Candles?" Kath said, looking at the Book. "Well, how would I know? I just moved in here only awhile ago... Maybe in the basement?" Kath said with a guess.

"Try looking in the cabinets. I'll get the ingredients." Katie stood up and carried the Book to the counter. "Rosemary, vanilla, ginger and... cream? Since when do spells need cream?" she asked herself while she took out three jars from the cupboard.

Kath opened a cabinet, and then the one underneath it. "Ah ha, four candles," she said, setting them next to the book. "Cream... ya think coffee cream will work?" Kath said, looking in her coffee cup.

"Sure. It should." Katie pulled one of each ingredient out of their jars. "Get the candles ready, would ya?" she asked while getting the cream.

Kath set the candles in the candle holders, then on the table making a circle space in the middle of them. She took a match and lit them one at time, putting out the match when she finished. "Candles ready." Kath then picked up the Book and set it in the middle of the circle of candles.

"Alright. Read this with me," Katie said, getting ready to put the ingredients into the pot. Kathy came to stand next to her and they read the spell. "From what I see I want anew, rise now from this brew. Rosemary, vanilla, ginger, cream! A perfect copy, or so it may seem!" As each item name was spoken, Katie threw them into the pot. There was loud bang, and poof of smoke, and a seemingly identical book appeared beside them. Katie picked up the book and flipped through the pages. "Well, it's empty," she confirmed.

---

"Your sisters are late. I told them to be here at twelve sharp! It is now 12:10! Maybe they have decided that they can live without you... leave you here to die."

Ian stared into the darkness. "They will come. And when they do, you'll be sorry. Together we will vanquish you."

The demon laughed. "You think I am not prepared for them? I have a plan. I am not as stupid as you may think."

"Oh, no. Of course not," Ian said sarcastically.

A second later there was a bright blue light and Katie and Kathy orbed in. "Ian!" Katie yelled.

"I'm ok. Don't give him the Book. If you do then it's over."

"Silence!" came the voice of the demon. There was a flash and lights turned on around the dock. "Now... give me the Book, or your brother dies." The demon came close to Ian and held an athame to his throat.

"Don't do it! Get out of here!"

Katie, totally ignoring Ian's yelling, held the 'Book' out for the demon to see. She set it down on the dock, then kicked it toward the demon, where it stopped a few feet away from him. As he drank the potion of his and went to pick it up, Katie and Kath ran over to Ian. Bending down, Katie pretended to untie the rope, but whispered to Ian, It's a fake. There's no spells whatsoever in it. She used her telekinesis to untie the rope holding Ian to the pole.

Ian got up and rubbed his wrists. The demon had tied the rope very tightly. Picking up the Book the demon turned to the three siblings. "And now it is your end!" He opened the Book and looked in it. Anger filled his face. He turned to another page. And another. "This is a fake!"

Kathy laughed. "Duh." A burst of light then shot from her forehead and knocked the fake BOS out of the demon's hands.

"No! I will not let you do this!" He ran forward and slashed at Katie with the athame. She side stepped, and didn't notice her foot get entwined on rope that was tied to a heavy crate. The demon slashed again, but Ian grabbed his arm and twisted it hard. The athame fell to the dock and Ian gave a high kick to the demon's head. He reeled back and landed next to the crate. He noticed Katie's foot and smiled. "This is not over." The demon then used his powers to push the crate off the dock and into the freezing water. Katie screamed as she fell and was pulled off the dock. SPLASH!

"Katie!" Kathy screamed. She began to run to jump into the water, but the demon shot electricity from his hand, hitting the young witch and knocking her unconscious. Then he muttered what seemed like a spell under his breath. The demon gave one last smile to Ian and then disappeared.

Katie flailed under water, her panic making her forget about orbing and her telekinesis. The box's weight dragged her farther and farther under the freezing cold water. She fought to stay conscious, but it was getting harder every second that passed. Finally there was a very faint splash, and a figure swam down to her, blowing the box up. Ian...' Katie thought gratefully, just before she lost consciousness.

---

Kath shook her head. There was cold water on what used to be a dry dock. She turned her face to see Ian standing over Katie. Every part of Kathy ached in misery as she tried to speak. The jolt had been more than she'd expected, and had fallen quite hard. "Ian is she...?" Kath finally muttered.

"No. She is still breathing... barely. But you have to heal her." Ian stepped aside so Kathy could get close.

Kath used what little strength she had left, sat up and made her way over to them. She laid her hands on Katie, but nothing happened. There was no luminescent glow beneath her fingers and there was no sign of action coming from Katie. "I can't do it, Ian Something's wrong."

"What? You can't heal her?" Ian grimaced. "If we don't get her some help soon, she is going to die. We have to get her to a doctor. But you guys orbed here. We have no car and it is in the middle of the night."

Kath pulled out her cell phone, dialed 911, and began explaining the situation. "We were just hanging out on the dock and she fell. Yes, she's breathing..." Kath looked up at Ian. She wanted to offer comforting words to her brother, but nothing could come to mind. It just seemed as though nothing else in the world mattered now, except their sister, and there was nothing they could do to help her. Ian was beginning to pace as Kathy hung up. "An ambulance is on the way."

Ian sighed. "Well they better hurry. Because Katie won't last long." He sighed again. "Try healing her once more."

"Ian, I don't think-"

"Just try!"

Kath raised her hands over Katie again, and not surprisingly, nothing happened. Kath took Katie up in her arms and began to rock her, murmuring, "Come on Katie, just wake up, just come back to us and everything will be alright." Kath stroked her wet hair and suddenly heard the ambulance siren wail over to the dock's end. The ambulance pulled up and the paramedics got out.

---

Ian sat in a very uncomfortable chair in a bright white waiting room. Kathy sat in the chair next to him. Her eyes were drooping slightly from lack of sleep. Ian got up and went to the receptionist's desk. "Excuse me, I would like to see my sister now. Can you please tell me where she is?"

Before she could answer a doctor came out. "Ian and Kathy King?"

Kathy came over and stood next to Ian. "That's us," she said.

"Your sister is still unconscious. That cold water would have killed her if she had been under another minute. You may go in and see her, but I don't think there will be much change in her condition for awhile." The doctor looked troubled. We're not sure she's going to make it, he added. 

Ian nodded and then brushed past the doctor, heading for Katie's room. Kathy followed closely behind. They got to Kate's room and went in. There she was, on the bed, looking asleep. Her breathing was slow. Ian went over and took Kate's hand. "Please... wake up. This is all my fault..." Tears began to leak from his eyes.

---

Days later Katie awoke. It was very, very quiet. There was not a sound to be heard. 'Where am I?' she thought. Looking around she saw that she was in a hospital bed. Ian was asleep, his hand clutching hers. He lay with his head on the side of the bed. She also saw Kathy across the room, asleep in a chair. Katie sighed and lay back, drifting off to sleep again.

---

Ian woke up with a start. For a moment he couldn't remember where he was. Then it all came back to him. The last few days katie had not stirred. Ian and Kathy had stayed with her the whole time. Not bothering to go home and change, or even take a shower. He looked down at Katie on the bed. She stirred and opened her eyes. "Katie, your awake." Katie frowned up at Ian. "Are you ok?" he asked.

"What?" Her brother was moving his mouth, but she could hear no words. Katie began to panic slightly. She couldn't even hear herself! Was she really talking, or just moving her mouth?

This time Ian frowned. "Are you ok?"

Katie sat up a little. "What! Speak louder."

"I said, are you ok!"

"Ian you have to speak up." Fear was gradually becoming stronger.

Ian gasped. "Oh my god, you're deaf."

"What?"

Ian turned around to Kathy. "Kathy! Wake up! We have more problems!"

Kath blinked and yawned herself awake. "Ian, stop yelling. What the heck is wrong?" Katie had a weird look upon her face. "Oh good, you're okay!" exclaimed Kath. Katie, still looking up at Ian worriedly, made no sign of hearing Kath. Kath said. She walked around to the opposite side of the bed of Ian, and poked her. Katie looked over at Kath, who picked up emotions of slight panic. What's wrong? she asked. But still, Katie made no sign of hearing her.

She's deaf, Ian told his youngest sister softly. Kath gasped slightly.

Just then the doctor came in. Oh, you're awake, he said a little too brightly. Ian and Kath looked over at him.

We think she's deaf, Ian told him.

His eyebrows went down in a frown. It's not unheard of, but unlikely... He went over to Katie, then snapped his fingers right next to her ear. I fear your analysis is correct, Mr. King. The doctor then began to quickly write something on the paper on the clipboard he was carrying.

What are you doing? Kath asked.

I am explaining to your sister what happened, he replied while writing. It seems that while under water, part of her brain... shut down,' I guess would be accurate, in laymen's terms. Her hearing may come back, it may not. There's really no way of telling until it happens. He finished writing and handed the clipboard to Katie. She read it quickly, then began writing with the pen the doctor gave her, slowly. She hadn't used those muscles in days... It would take a while to get them to what they were before. She gave the clipboard back to the doctor, who wrote back quickly. She'll have to learn sign language. It would be easier for her in the long run. We have services for that, along with Physical Therapy. She might have to learn how to walk again. Also, we're going to have someone come in to see if anything else in her brain is damaged. Motor skills, etc.

"Ok, my sister is deaf. Wonderful..." Ian said. Katie punched Ian in the arm. She was watching him and lip-read half of what he had said. "Ow! What was that for?"

"I hea- saw that, Katie said carefully. It was easier to write than talk at the moment.

Ian grabbed the clip board and wrote, "I was being sarcastic!" and showed it to Katie. She quickly, though it was technically slowly, wrote down, "Sure you were..."

"Ugh." Ian got up. "I have to go think about this," he said and then left the room. Katie frowned as she watched Ian leave. Then she caught Kathy's eye and jerked her head toward the door. "Go check on him?" she wrote down on the paper.

Kath nodded and walked out into the hallway where Ian was. "Ian... are you alright?"

"Yeah... just great. I got captured by a demon, almost got the BOS stolen, and now my sister is deaf and it is my fault. I am just peachy!"

"It's not your fault. If it was your fault, YOU would have knocked her into the water. And keep it down." A few heads turned at the word demon' and BOS'. "It's just as much MY fault than it is yours."

"How is it your fault? It was my fault. And we can't heal her. What are we going to do!" A light near them sparked and exploded. A woman screamed. A doctor came running over.

"Not to worry people! It was most likely an overload in the system."

Kath grabbed Ian's arm. We need to leave... if you can't control your powers, then you need to stay away from people... Katie will be here in the morning... let's go. She said, telepathically.

"Alright. Well, you go tell Katie and I will grab us a taxi." Ian turned and walked down the hall.

Kath watched Ian get on the elevator and then returned to Katie's room. #Look, forget the freakin' paper. Ian's ... not well... we'll see you in the morning, okay? No worries.#

Katie looked up at Kathy, sorrow in her eyes. 'He blames himself, doesn't he?' she wrote on the paper. 'He shouldn't. There was nothing he could do. Tell him that for me?'

Kath sighed. #I've tried... but no harm in drilling it into him.# She said, smiling. Walking out, Kath met Ian downstairs. "A little air doing you good?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"No... Taxi!" A taxi pulled up and Ian and Kathy got in.

"Where to?" asked the driver. Ian told him and he sped off into the ever darkening night.

Kath shifted uncomfortably in the taxi, the smoking stench of the driver soaking into her coat. She looked at the clock in the front. It was past one in the morning. Just then the taxi stopped and they got out. Walking up to the door, Kath unlocked it, letting them both in. Her blow from the demon attack a few days ago was still stinging in her lungs. But it was all worth it, just to get him back. "Ian I'm going to bed, okay?" Ian shrugged and set his coat down on the table. Kath walked upstairs and into her room.

Ian sighed and went into the living room. Sitting down on the couch he began to cry. "It's all my fault," he whispered through his tears.

"Yes. It is."

Ian looked up, startled. There was the demon that had captured Ian a few nights ago. "You bastard!" Ian jumped off the couch and threw up his hands, but the demon leapt aside, so Ian's power instead shattered a window. "Kathy! Get down here!" Electricity leaped from the demon's finger tips and knocked Ian against the wall, cracking several picture frames. Thud! Ian now laid in a crumpled heap on the floor.

Kath lay nearly asleep in her bed when Ian's voice rang to her ears. She leapt up and ran down the stairs only to see the demon creeping towards Ian. Compressing her dazed sleepy thoughts, Kathy focused and shot a bolt, smacking the demon in the chest. As the demon fell to the floor, Kath ran over to Ian who seemed unconscious. Placing her hands over his wounds, they began to heal. Ian blinked a little bit. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Ian rubbed his back. Man... I have been slammed into too many wa- LOOK OUT!" The demon had gotten up and pulled an athame out of his jacket. Kathy stepped aside and Ian jumped out of the way as the demon threw the deadly weapon. It hit the wall and was now stuck there. "Oh how I wish we had Katie's freezing power right about now!" Ian yelled from behind the couch.

Kath hid with Ian and looked over at the athame. She jumped up, tripping over a fallen object and sliding right under the athame's position as lightning hit above it. She grabbed it, throwing it and making it land right in the middle of the demon's chest. The demon hollered in pain as a smoke veil covered him. Suddenly flames engulfed his evil flesh and he disappeared.

Ian came out from behind the couch and helped Kathy up. "Wow... nice vanquish." Kathy smiled and Ian looked at the mess. "We can clean this up in the morning. Right now we need sleep." Ian put his arm around his sister and they walked up the stairs. "Oh, and remind me to get some flowers for Katie tomorrow. Ok?"

"Yes, of course." Kath said heading off to her room. She was still in her pajamas in slippers. Ian turned and walked into his room, closing the door behind him.

---

Ian and Kathy walked into Katie's room and the hospital. A woman was there teaching Katie some basic sign language. The woman noticed them and motioned with her head. Katie turned and smiled. Ian held out some flowers for his sister. "Here ya go," he said, and then realized that Katie couldn't hear him.

Katie thought for a moment then made the sign for 'thank you.' It was odd still, not being able to hear. A somber thought crossed her mind as she took the flowers from Ian and smelled them, keeping up an appearance of joy. I'll never be able to hear Ian's or Kath's voices again. I'll never be able to listen to my favorite songs... Won't be able to hear if someone came into the room...' She sighed.

Kath gave a weak smile, hearing her sister's thoughts cross her mind. #It's okay, Katie. I'll talk to you telepathically as much as you'd like...# Kath sat down in a chair nearby.

Katie glared at Kath, her look saying just what she thought. 'And that'll get very annoying, her bursting into my head like that.'

#Sorry...# Kathy smiled.

Ian glanced at the woman who stood next to Katie's bed. "Um... could you excuse us for a moment?"

The woman smiled. "Of course." She signed a quick "I'll be back later" to Katie, and then left.

Ian then picked up a note pad that was on the small bedside table. He hurriedly wrote, "We vanquished the demon that did this to you last night," and gave it to Katie.

"Did you? Well, that's good. He deserves it, I guess. Of course, all demons deserve to be vanquished and... how the hell can I be babbling when I'm writing?" she wrote, then handed it back to Ian.

Ian nodded. "Tell her that she can just talk to us. We are not the deaf ones here," he said to Kathy.

Kath waved her hand at Katie and then pointed to her own head, signaling that she was going to use her telepathy. #You can talk to us... it might sound odd to you, but we'll understand what you're saying.#

"What do you mean, sound? I can't hear at all, remember?" Katie said out loud to Kathy, which was a bit awkward.

Kath nodded and glanced at Ian. "Mission accomplished?"

"Yep... but she needs to tone it down. No yelling." Ian sat down on the end of Katie's bed.

Kath once again translated this message using telepathy and Katie nodded.

"Ok, Kathy, message what I say. Now... it is going to be pretty hard for awhile. Kate, you are not going to be doing demon fighting for some time. With all the injuries... I still don't understand why Kathy can't heal you." 

Kathy sat and concentrated on sending the telepathic messages to Katie.

"What do you mean, injuries? I can't hear. So what? Ok, sure, it'll be harder, but still. And the doc said I just need physical therapy to walk again." Katie couldn't get where Ian was going. She could demon hunt. As long as the demon was in sight, any ways.   
---

Ian and Kathy walked into the manor. "Ok," Ian said, "We have to figure out something. Too bad we don't have contact with the Elders anymore. I wonder why they didn't give us a new Whitelighter after Rob died?"

"Rob? Oh right. Your old Whitelighter." Kathy said, hanging her coat on the coat rack. "Well let's just hope the Book Of Shadows can help us.

"Good idea." The two walked up the stairs and into the attic. Ian opened the Book Of Shadows and began to page through it. "Need something on senses. Or something..."

Kath plopped down in a dusty arm chair, stirring dust. She sneezed.

"Bless you..." Ian mumbled while concentrating on the book. There was a shimmer and a demon stood in the room near the window.

"Demon!" Kathy yelled.

"What?" Ian glanced up. The demon threw a fire ball and Ian ducked. "Bad demon!" Ian levitated over the pedestal that the Book was on and kicked the demon in the head. He fell back into a table, knocking over several stacked books. Ian landed softly and took a fighting stance. The demon grabbed a red book and threw it at Ian. It hit him in the head and he stumbled back. "Ow! Kathy, get him!"

Kath picked up a book and threw it towards the demon. He shot a fire ball at it, making it turn to dust on the floor. "So much for that..." she said.

Use your power, not a book! Ian shouted irritably.

Oh. Right, Kathy whispered, shooting a beam from her forehead, hitting the demon's firing arm.

"Well that does it for you!" Ian thrust his hands at the demon and he exploded. "Idiot..." Ian went back over to the Book and slammed it shut. "I guess it will just be me and you with the demon fighting for a little while. And Katie will just have to get used to being deaf..."

---

Ian and Kathy sat on either side of Katie's bed. "Well Katie... there was nothing in the Book. So for the time being... you will just have to get used to this. And so will we." Ian said all this and Kathy telepathed it to their sister.

"Great. Sounds fun. What's next, losing control of my powers?" Katie said, frowning. She was sure that there would've been some sort of magical way out of this.

#I'm sure you won't lose your powers. We'll find a way, no doubt about it, sis,# Kathy telepathed to both of them.

"Uh huh. That optimistic attitude is annoying," Katie replied bitterly. Then she sighed. "Sorry. I wanna get outta here and back home."

"Once you finish your Physical therapy you can. The doctors said so." Kathy telepathed this and Katie nodded slowly. Ian then took both his sisters in a hug. "Don't worry... everything will be ok," he whispered. "I'll make sure of it."

**_End Of Episode Nine: Lost Sense_**


	35. Beswitched

**_Episode 2.10: Beswitched_****__**

"Ok, explain to me what you saw again," Kathy said as she and Ian walked into the attic.

"Well in my premonition I saw... well this woman was sucking something out of this guy. It was wavy... and it went into her and she seemed to get younger. And then the man that was there collapsed. Eyes open... but just like a lifeless vessel." Ian sighed and sat down on the couch in the attic.

"Well did you get any more detailed things? Street names? Time of day? Anything that we would be able to go to and maybe find this... woman?" Kath asked.

"No. But we can check the Book. And hopefully get a reading when we scry for her." Kathy went over to the BOS and opened it.

"This her?" Ian got up and stood next to Kathy.

"Nope."

Kathy flipped through some more pages. "Her?"

"No." Kathy turned one more page. "That's her! Let's see... Soul Stealer. Steals the souls from other beings in order to keep her youth and beauty. And here," Ian said, pointing, "is a vanquishing spell. He grabbed a notepad and quickly wrote down the spell from the Book. "Ok, you wanna scry for her?"

"You go ahead. I'm going to go check on the cake downstairs for Katie's 'Welcome Back' kinda celebration." Kath said, walking out and downstairs to the kitchen.

Ian took out a map and the scrying crystal. "Ok crystal... do your stuff." Ian began to scry and the crystal gave a hard pull and stuck to the map. "Kathy! I have a location! Grab your keys!" Ian wrote down the address and then ran out of the room.

---

Kathy pulled over near an alleyway and the two got out. "You sure that this is the place?" Kathy asked her brother.

"I'm sure." They walked into the alley and heard a man screaming. "Come on!" Ian yelled. They ran around a corner and saw the Soul Stealer in the process of taking a man's soul.

"Hey!" Kathy yelled. The Soul Stealer stopped and turned.

"Who are you?" She had graying hair, and there were creases in her face.

"We are the ones who are going to vanquish you," Ian said.

The woman smiled. "I sense powerful souls in you... they could keep me young forever. They are mine!" Her outstretched hands began to glow, as did Kathy and Ian.

"We have to say the spell!" Kathy screamed. Ian pulled it out and the two began.

"Stealing souls is an evil crime, back away do not take mine. With this spell we end your life, no more pain, no more strife!"   
There was a crackling in the air; the magic of the Soul Stealer's and Ian and Kathy's were being mixed. There was a bright flash and a loud bang. All three of them fell to the ground.  
Ian moaned and rubbed his head. He felt different. He looked over at Kathy to see... his body laying on the ground. "AH!" Ian clasped his hands to his mouth. His scream was that of his sister's!

Kath turned to the scream only to see herself. She frowned and felt her face. Or rather Ian's face. "What the...?" She bit her lip. Kath's voice was way lower than what she remembered. "Um.. Ian?"

"Uh... hi. What the hell just happened?" Ian stood up and brushed off Kathy's clothes.

Kath looked around. "I'm not sure... and don't say hell. It doesn't sound nice out of my mouth." She said. "Hey where's what's-her-face?"

Ian pointed with Kathy's finger. "Right there, on the ground... Hey, you need a manicure."

"Hey, you have no need to talk. Your fingernails look as though they were cut with a chainsaw. Sheesh, you need lotion too. All this dead skin." Kath shook her head. Or his head? "What do we do with her?"

The Soul Stealer got up. "I will return!" She then disappeared.

"Well we don't have to worry about- OH MY GOD!"

"What!" Kathy screamed with Ian's voice.

"I have boobs."

"Oh brother," Kath started to say as the innocent stirred and stood up.

"Um... what just happened? I remember a lady..." he said.

"Well... umm.. Ia-, er Kath?" She said. Ian looked at her funny with her own face.

"What's wrong with you two?" The man asked.

You have no idea" Kath said, in her newly founded male voice, throwing up her hands. A nearby trashcan exploded, making the innocent jump.

"AH! You weirdo!" he exclaimed, running off.

"Oh, now see what you did? You scared off the innocent. Shame on you. And not only did we switch bodies, but we have each other's powers! How did we switch bodies anyway?" Ian started to twirl his now long hair.

Kath looked sideways at herself. "Do I really look that weird when I do that?" she asked, still a little uncomfortable with her voice.

"When you do what? Oh! This? I just started doing it automatically. I am getting kinda nervous about all this. But... I think that what happened was that the magic of her power and of our spell converged. And instead of our souls being stolen, they were switched." Ian grabbed his "former" arm and looked at the watch. "And we are late to get Katie. Now... she is under a lot of stress and I don't want to add to it. So, we don't tell her about this little mishap, ok? We can figure out how to switch us back at home."

---

Katie was pacing in the hospital lobby, waiting for Ian and Kathy to pick her up. 'Ugh, come ON already,' she thought angrily as she made the twentieth lap around the room. A few people who were sitting there looked at her oddly, then went back to reading or talking. Finally, what seemed like an hour later, her siblings came in. Katie caught sight of them, before they saw her, and came over to them. Where were you? she said' in sign language to Kathy. She looked at her oddly, as if not understanding. Oh come on, I thought you knew this stuff, she signed with a slight grin.

Ian tapped her on the shoulder, then signed, We were fighting a demon. Katie looked at him oddly, her look plainly asking how the hell do you know what I was saying?'

"Uh... I taught him some of the stuff that you taught me... Yeah he is a quick study. Right, uh, Ian?" Ian smiled Kathy's smile and began to twirl his hair again, nervously.

"Ugh, you should know by now I can't hear you!" Katie signed, annoyed, then hit Kathy' on the arm lightly.

"Oh, um... Yeah. Yeah... uh... Ian? Say something, Ian stuttered.

Kath wasn't paying attention, and didn't remember that she was Ian. "Oh. Right... well let's go. I baked a cake for ya," Kath said and signed at the same time.

"You baked a cake?" Katie asked aloud, surprised.

"Um... no. I meant Kath made ya one... yeah, I don't bake cakes..."

"You're acting weird, you know. Maybe that demon did something to you..." Katie shrugged. "Anyway, let's get going."

"Right!" Ian said. "We can go eat that cake... that I baked. It has... um... frosting and stuff. Ok, let's go!" The three then went out to Kathy's car. Ian got into the front passenger side and Katie stopped.

"Um... why are you not driving your own car?"

Ian looked at her. "Oh... uh..." Ian got out and went over to the other side and got in. The other two entered the car and they drove off.

---

The three entered the manor. This was the first time in two months that Katie had set foot in the house, and she was overjoyed in finally being able to come home. Oh, it feels good to be home,' she thought. After looking around to take in the familiar sights, she turned and signed to Kathy, So, where's that cake?

"Um... hold on a second." Ian turned around and grabbed the real Kathy. "What did she say?"

"She asked where the cake was."

Ian turned back around. "The cake! Yes! In the kitchen... but you cannot hear me..." Ian turned around again. "How do I use your power?"

"Well it doesn't come with directions or anything! Just think something towards her with much focus, and it should work... I never thought about it though..." Kath walked into the kitchen and started washing Ian's hands. "Don't you ever clean!" She hollered at him down the hall.

"Heh heh..." Ian turned back to Katie. #The cake is in the kitchen.# Ian smiled slightly. 'Oh my god, it worked,' he thought to himself.

"I still think you two are acting strange," Katie signed back, then walked into the kitchen. "Oh yay, cake," she said (and signed) aloud, a habit that she had gotten into during her stay at the hospital.

Ian still stood in the foyer and stared down at the light and gentle hands of Kathy. He tried to move them like Katie did. "Ah screw it. I want cake," he said, and then walked into the kitchen.

Kath cut three slices of the cake and set them in front the chairs. They sat quietly eating cake for a moment. Suddenly the doorbell rang. Kath got up to answer it and opened the door to see Tobias. "Oh my god! I totally forgot about-- you and Kath's date!" She exclaimed. That was a close one...' she thought as Tobias looked at her funny. "Um, right. KATH!" she yelled. "Tobias is here!"

Ian glanced up from his plate. "Oh no..." Getting up from the table he went into the foyer where Tobias and Kathy waited. "Hey Tobias. What are you doing here?"

Tobias frowned. "We have a date. Remember?"

"Oh! Right, yeah..." Tobias leaned in for a kiss but Ian jumped back. "Oh, what ya doing there!"

"I am trying to kiss my girlfriend. I haven't seen much of you since your sister's accident."

Ian scratched his head. "Well, yeah. I can't really go ou-"

Kathy interrupted, "Oh go ahead. I will watch after Katie. Go and have a good time." She then pushed them both out with Ian's strong hands.

Ian turned and whispered, "You are the devil!" He was then forced to leave with Tobias.

Kath laughed as Ian left with Tobias' arm around him. She walked back into the kitchen. Kate sat with a confused look on her face. "Oh... right..." Kath mumbled to herself.

"What's going on?" Katie asked blatantly.

Kath sighed. "Look I'll tell you. Ia—Kath had a date with Tobias." Suddenly a female demon shimmered in. Kath tried to focus a beam, but it wasn't working.

What are you doing!" Katie asked, throwing her hands up and freezing her.

"Glad to see your powers are back." Kath signed.

"Me too. Now explain before--" The woman unfroze and she conjured an energy ball.

Just vanquish her!" Kath yelled throwing a chair at her. "Wow. Being strong isn't so bad..." she mumbled to herself as the woman stumbled.

Me? You're the one with the blowing up power! Katie yelled back. Why don't you just try to blow her up! She ducked an energy ball from the demon. When she looked at Ian, she saw him trying to make his power work. Dammit, what is wrong with you? she asked loudly, or so she thought, grabbing the knife that was behind her on the table and throwing it at the demon. The demon burst into flames, apparently screaming, and vanished. Ok, that's it, Katie said, coming to stand in front of Ian. What the hell is going on?

---

Ian stared down at the table cloth, not looking at Tobias. They were at a nice restaurant, but Ian wasn't eating. "Kathy... is there something wrong?"

Ian looked up at Tobias through Kathy's eyes. "No! No, everything is fine. This is great... just great." He mumbled the last part.

"Well, Kathy. I have been meaning to talk to you about something."

Ian began to sweat. "Really? Uh... what is it?"

Tobias sighed. "Well our relationship has been kind of... slipping. And so is our love life."

More sweat. "Oh? Um... well... things have just been kinda-"

"I mean the sex that we have is great. But we don't have it that often..."

Ian scratched his neck. "Sex... yeah. Oh this is bad." Ian whispered his last line.

"What was that?" Tobias asked.

"Oh, nothing! Nothing... but I don't think we should-"

"I am sorry for bringing this up, but I love you, Kathy. And I want us to stay together."

"So do I. But this just really is not a good time to talk. I... I have to get back home. I'll call you later!" Ian jumped up from the table and rushed out of the building mumbling, "Their sex life! He just had to bring up that? Yuck!"

---

Kath sighed again. "Look, Ian and I switched bodies basically. He had a premonition, and we went after this... ah what was it called... A Soul Stealer. Her magic mixed with our spell and... well a bunch of confusion and yeah..." Kath was getting quite good at signing.

So what you're saying is that you two decided not to tell me because of some stupid reason one of you thought up. Katie was getting annoyed at the both of them. Why the hell wouldn't you tell me?

"Well we know you are totally stressed--" The doorbell rang for the second time that night. "Bell," Kath signed. She answered the door to see some cute guy.

"Hey, Ian isn't it? Remember me?" Kath tried to close her mouth. "Ian? Are you okay?" he said, waving his hand in front of her.

"Oh, um. Hi, right. Come in... what did you say your name was?"

He stepped in and hung his coat. "Nate. You don't remember me?"

Kath tightened her lip. "Sure, whatever, memory lapse. Heh."

"KATIE?" Nate yelled.

"Oh, you know Katie. Let me go get her..." Kath walked back down the hall to the kitchen. "Nate?" Kath signed with a questioning look.

Katie stood up and ran passed her. She smiled widely at the sight of Nathan, her old boyfriend from Hawaii. "Nate..." she whispered, practically flinging herself into his arms, taking him by surprise.

Ian came in at that moment. "Oh my god... Nate! It is great to see you."

Nate turned. "Do I know you?"

Ian bit his lip. "Um... uh... No. But I know you! I mean, Katie just loves you to death and she... uh... described you so well. Yeah..." Ian turned to Kathy. #That is Nate. Katie met him last year in Hawaii while we were on our trip.# Ian then walked over to Nate and shook his hand. "I'm Kathy. Katie and Ian's sister."

Nate frowned and looked at Katie. "I didn't know you had a sister."

Katie stared at him. "What?" she said.

Ian took Nate's arm and turned him so he was facing Ian again. "Hi, yeah, um she can't hear you. She had an accident and has... gone deaf. Oh and I am their long lost sister... long story! I am sure you would love to hear it sometime. But right now I have to talk to my brother... upstairs."

Ian went over to Katie. #I just told him you are deaf. I need to go talk to Ian now.#

Katie glared. "I know what happened," she whispered.

#Oh... well good... Bye!# Ian then grabbed Kathy by the arm... his arm... and they ran up the stairs.

Katie sighed then pulled Nate to the couch and they both sat down. Ok... Yeah, I'm deaf. Can't hear a word you're saying. And you're probably wondering how. Well, it's kinda complicated. And frankly, I don't want to talk about it. It's just... oh damn, who am I kidding? She laid her head on his chest. I want to hear again. I wanna hear Ian's and Kathy's voices. And your voice. I want to be able to hear music, to hear the phone, to... just hear the small things. I don't know what'll happen, she muttered, a tear leaking out. You probably came here, expecting things to be just as they were... but they're aren't. I'm so sorry. Katie was softly crying now, the stress she had kept in coming out in a flood. Nate coming had finally broken that dam she had built. She felt like she could tell him anything. What about your being a witch?' a part of her asked.

Nate got Katie to sit up and held her head in his hands. "Read my lips Katie. I... love... you. And you being deaf will not change that." He said all this slowly so that Katie could read his lips and understand.

---

Ian and Kathy were up in the attic. Ian, in Kathy's body, was looking through the Book Of Shadows. "How are we going to switch back? This is all just getting insane. I had to hear about your and Tobias's love life! Oh, yeah... you should really talk to him about that..."

Kath frowned. "You talked... about our sex life! I can't believe you! You think you know someone and then this happens. Sheesh."

"He was the one who- Oh never mind. Look we have to find some way to switch us back. Any ideas?"

"Old hag comes here, we kick her demon butt, end problems?" Kath said. Ian frowned. "Stop that, you're giving me wrinkles! I say she'll be back for our 'souls'," she said making quote fingers. "And we'll just say the spell again while she tries to get our souls, shish bang boo poof! And we're back online!"

"But why would she be dumb enough to do that same thing? She won't try to steal our Souls. She will... try to steal Katie's!" Ian slammed the Book shut and ran down the stairs with Kathy close behind. They got down there to see Katie and Nate making out on the couch. At that moment the Soul Stealer appeared behind Nathan. She raised up her hands to steal both Nate and Katie's souls. "No!" Ian yelled, with Kathy's voice. A bright beam shot from his head and hit the woman, knocking her into a bookcase.

"What?" Katie asked as Nathan pulled away quickly. "Oh hell," she muttered as she caught sight of the beam coming from Kathy's bodies forehead. Without thinking, she put her hands up to freeze the demon and Nate at the same time. What is going on?

Ian and Kathy came down the stairs. "She is the Soul Stealer," Kathy signed with Ian's large hands.

"The Soul Stealer...? Oh, the person that switched your guy's bodies. Right," Katie signed/said. "If you vanquish her, maybe you'll get back into your own body."

"Ok, Kathy. This is your big moment. Blow her up! ... Ya think you can do it?" Ian looked over at Kathy in his own body. He hoped that she would not accidentally blow up something other than the demon... like Katie or Nate.

Kath nodded at Ian. Flicking her hands quickly, a nearby lamp blew up, making all three witches jump.

"Oookay Try again. This time, aim for the demon!"

Kath frowned, but nodded, took a deep breath and repeated it again. The demon burst into flames, hollering as she sank to their floor. "Second time's the charm, I guess," Kath muttered, walking over to the burnt spot on the floor. Nate suddenly unfroze and looked around frantically. "What just happened?" he asked. All eyes flicked over to Katie.

"Uh... translation?" Katie asked, looking over at Ian's body. Kathy signed what Nate said quickly, and Katie looked back over at him, her mind racing quickly. You see... we were here on the couch... and apparently my brother and sister decided to... interrupt us, she said, deciding to go with the basic truth.

"Oh," Nate said. "Well they might have had a reason. What's up guys?"

Ian looked down at himself. He still had boobs. "Uh... nothing! We will just be... in the kitchen." He grabbed Kathy and pulled her into the kitchen. "It didn't work! And Nate almost found us out."

"Well don't blame this on me! It's not like I'm enjoying this monkey of a body!" Kath sat down at the kitchen table. "There's no ho--" Suddenly Ian's cell phone rang on her waist. "Uh oh... now what!"

"Oh no... it's probably my boss!" The phone kept ringing. "Well answer it!"

Kath answered the call. "Um hello?"

"Where the hell have you been! I need that article of yours in NOW! You better get your ass over here."

Ian could hear his boss, Derek, from the phone loud and clear. "Oh... he's mad."

"You don't say? Where's this paper of yours?" Kath said, covering the mouthpiece as Derek yelled on.

"Um... I still have to print it out. Tell him that I'll be there very soon with it." Ian then left the room to go get print out his article.

"Um sir, I'm printing it out now. I'll be there as fast as I can." Kath bit on Ian's lip nervously as she hung the phone up and followed herself.

Ian picked up the pieces and put them in a file folder. "Ok," he said, turning to Kathy, "you have to bring these to work for me."

Kath sighed and grabbed her own wrist, which to be frank was weird. "You're going with me. No way I'm facing that monster of a man on my own."

"Oh no. Nuh uh. I have to check the Book of Shadows to find a way to switch us back," Ian said, motioning wildly with his free hand. "Now just go to The Central newspaper building and go up in main stairway in the lobby to the second floor. Derek's office is the first one on the left. Just give him this file and come straight back here." He ripped his arm out of his own hand's grasp. "Now go. I'll check the Book." With that he ran out of the room. Running through the living room he saw Nate and Katie at it again. "Oh, hey you two love birds. I am just passing through. I am Kathy... see me run!" He ran up the stairs, but got a quick look at his sister and Nate. They looked like a couple. Then he was gone.

My br- sister is so weird, as you've noticed, Katie said and signed when they stopped. I seemed to have missed that gene, thank god.

Nate laughed. He picked up a pen and a notepad off the coffee table and wrote, "Katie, I didn't just come to visit. I came to New York to stay." Nate showed her the pad.

"Stay? But... What about your place in Hawaii? I am happy that you decided to stay." Katie smiled happily. "Just a little confused on the why. I mean, if I were you, I wouldn't leave Hawaii.

Nate wrote, "I decided to expand my business to New York. And I wanted to be with you Kate. I love you."

"I love you too, Nate."

---

Kath walked into Ian's office building, clinging tight to the file he gave her. "Okay.. lobby.. second floor.. first on .. left? Or was it right? It was left, who am I kidding, left... or right." Kath smacked her head. Suddenly the file was taken from her hands and she turned quickly to see a man.

"Finally! Ian, you are getting to be troublesome. You are a great writer, but you are always gone, or late. Now, tell me. What's up?"

"What's up?" She repeated. "Oh, right. Well nothing much, I've been working hard on this, I was just putting the finishing touches on it last night. I hope you like it, but I'm kinda busy. You know. Go go go me. See you later sir." Kath turned hurriedly and began walking to the elevator. "Just drop it off and go... just drop it off and go," she repeated to herself.

---

Ian blew a strand of hair out of his eyes. "Ugh, I don't see how Kathy works with this hair. Always in the eyes." Ian sighed. He was looking through the Book, but wasn't finding anything. "Hmm... well Katie switched bodies with someone once. Maybe all I have to do is wish for my body back." Ian closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I wanna be me again!" ... He opened his eyes. Still in the attic. "Damn!" Suddenly there was a loud ring coming from his jeans pockets. "Oh!" He took out Kathy's cell phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Kathy? It's Tobias. We need to talk."

Ian silently cursed. "Uh... this isn't a really good time."

"Well when is it a good time! Kathy, I really care about you. But you have to keep canceling on me... and we never talk. And today you were just plain weird."

Ian rolled his eyes. "Yeah... well I have been really busy."

"Too busy even for me?"

"Um... well..."

"Ugh. Kathy, I have had it. Call me when you have time for me."

"Tobias, wait!" But he had hung up. Ian turned off the phone and put it back in his pocket. "Oh... Kathy is gonna kill me!"

---

Kath ran into the house, passing a still making out Katie and Nate. "Ia-KATHY!"

"Attic!" Ian called.

It was still odd to hear her own voice from someone else. Kath walked upstairs. "Anything yet?"

"Um... no. But I do have some news. Your boyfriend broke up with me. You! Me! Now I'm confused..."

"WHAT! HOW COULD YOU! IAN! I'D KILL YOU RIGHT NOW, BUT THAT WOULD SUICIDE." She sat down heatedly on the couch. "We were going nowhere anyways... I suppose it was for the best. Now let's just get crackin'."

"Oh honey... it is going to be ok. You just have to explain to him that you were just not yourself today... Which you weren't. You guys will be back together before you know it. Whoa. Where did that come from? Did I say honey?"

"Yeah... you did... maybe this means we are getting stuck even more! You're using my vocab! Or you're just getting to used to boobs. Ugh... we need Katie's help. But she's makin' out with that Hawaiian. Why couldn't he come later?"

"Because with our lives people like to come at the wrong time. BUT! I think I have a solution to our problem. If we can come up with a Power Of Three spell we just might be able to switch back."

"Okay... well we need to do this VERY soon. I think I, er you, need to go to the bathroom, and that's not exactly Disneyworld to me right now. KATIE! ... COULD YOU COME HERE? QUICKLY?"

Katie sighed when Nate told her that Ian yelled for her. "I'll be right back," she said, then went up the stairs to the attic. "Do you two LIKE messing up my love life?" she snapped.

"No, I think it's this body. It makes me do things. Ian has a plan though. Ian?" Kath said and signed, then motioning to Ian.

"We need to use a Power Of Three spell to switch us back. At least we hope it will work. And it seems I had uh... a little too much to drink before Kathy and I switched."

"Well, then what is the spell?" Katie asked.

"I have not figured that out yet, Ian said while Kathy signed. But I will. Now Kathy, go to the bathroom. I don't want to go back to a body with a bladder that has exploded." Ian grabbed some paper and a pen and began to write a spell.

Kath frowned. "You aren't serious are you?" Ian turned to show a monotone look. "Of course you are. Well I don't have to go that bad. Let's just make that spell, then you can take your own trip to the bathroom."

"That is a good plan." Ian finished writing, and then wrote two copies for his sisters. Ian walked over to them and handed the spell to each. "Ok, let's get in a circle." They did so. "Ok, now," Ian said.

"What has been switched, will now switch back. To our own bodies, back on track." There was a flash of light and Ian and Kathy fell to the floor.

"Hey, I don't have to go to the bathroom anymore!" Kathy said.

"Hey, I do! Wait, that isn't good. But still, it feels great to be back in my own body." Ian got up and brushed himself off.

"Ok, so I can go back downstairs now? Great! Have fun, guys." Katie turned and walked out of the room without waiting for an answer from either sibling.

Kath looked down. "Oh, I missed you two!"

"Are you talking to your boobs?" Ian said, walking towards the door.

"No. Of course not, that's weird."

Ian nodded. "Oh, did you see Derek while you were at my work?"

"Yes, but I rushed out to avoid confrontation. You may need to call him about that..." Kath said, walking to her room and closing the door.

---

"I got an apartment not too far from here. It's pretty nice. And I am going on a job search tomorrow." Nathan and Katie sat in the sunroom sipping coffee. He was writing things down and she was answering.

"Cool. We should go there sometime and leave my crazy family for a day," Katie said, grinning. What kind of job are you looking for?

"Just something to pay the bills until I can transfer control of my company up here," Nate wrote. "But right now I should go unpack. You think I could come over for breakfast tomorrow morning?"

"Sure, no problem."

---

Ian and Katie sat in a booth at King's Corner. Katie was trying to teach Ian sign language... Trying. "Ok. Now this means that I'm hungry," Katie said, and she signed.

Ian stared down at his hands. "Ok... I think I got it," Ian signed back to Katie. Then he repeated what she had done.

"You just said that you are itchy."

"Oh. Whoops."

Katie smiled and then sighed, looking around. "Where is Kathy? She said she would be here."

Just then, Beth, one of Ian's workers, came out onto the stage. "Hey everyone! Welcome to Open Mic Night. Where people have signed up to sing for you. And if you want to do something up here, don't hesitate at all. Our first brave soul will be Kathy Hughes. Let's give it up!" They crowd cheered as Kathy came on stage.

Ian and Katie gasped. "What is she doing?" Ian whispered.

"Evening all. This is my first time since high school, so you'll have to forgive me if I break some glasses." A slight laughter flowed over the crowd. Kath nodded to the band. My love must be kind of blind love. I can't see anyone but you. She began singing. The music continued to play and she tapped her foot, counting the rests in her head. Suddenly Tobias walked in and Kath gasped, stopped tapping her foot and looked at him, but continued to sing. Are the stars out tonight?. I don't know if it's cloudy or bright Kath winked at Tobias who had taken a seat in the back. But I only have eyes for you Tobias smiled and Kath took a deep breath. The moon may be high. But I can't see a thing in the sky. Cause I only have eyes for you... The background singers continued. I don't know if we're in a garden. Or on a crowded avenue

There was only one last verse, and Kath was thanking whatever god was watching over her that she hadn't messed up too noticeably. Kath smiled at Tobias and then glanced over at her family. They were astonished but gave her a reassuring smile.   
You are here and so am I Maybe millions of people go by but they all disappear from view Kath closed her eyes and drew the microphone close to her lips. And I only have eyes for you The crowd went nearly wild, the house was packed. Kath blushed and too a bow. "Thanks everyone, you're an awesome audience." Beth came back out as Kath exited the stage and was putting on her coat when an arm wrapped her waist. She turned quickly, her hair brushing back.

"You did awesome. I didn't know you sang." It was Tobias.

"Yeah well, we all have to have hobbies. Look I know we've been far apart for quite a while--"  
"Yes, I know, but you can explain later." He leaned over and they passionately kissed.

End Of Episode 2.10: Beswitched


	36. Flames of Hell

A/N: Hey! I'm back! For those of you that don't know, and that's probably all of you, Ian was posting up the last few chapters. So, yeah, sorry for the lack of A/Ns, he kinda just took it upon himself. Now, as I wanted to say eariler... Yeah, I didkinda get that whole idea on 2.9 from someone else. I don't knowwho, to be honest, but whoever it is, credit goes out to ya if you're readin'.

Now, as for this episode. One of my favs. At least after the beginning gets over with, it's one of my favs. Same goes with 2.10, except for the whole making out thing... Kathy or Ian wrote those parts. No lie. Well, anyway, enjoy the show.

* * *

**Episode 2.11 - Flames of Hell**

Ian sat in his office at The Central, paper work piled up around him. Ring ring! Ian grabbed the phone. "Hello? ... Yeah this is him. ... No, wait, stop. Please send a letter. I answer them all. Not all of them go in the paper, but I do send everyone an answer. ... Yeah, bye." Ian hung up and was about to pick up a letter when the phone rang again. "Hello?" "Ian? It's Beth. The plumbing here at the club exploded. We are going to have to shut down tonight."

"What! No, we can't do that. This was the Raffle Ticket night."

"We can't fix the plumbing before opening and we can't open with the plumbing broken."

"Well, okay just-" Beep beep beep! Ian grabbed his cell phone out of his jacket. "Hold on a sec, Beth." Ian answered his cell. "Hello?"

"Ian, it's Katie. We are out of milk. I am kinda busy right now, so can you pick some up on the way home?"

"Yeah... sure, whatever." They had gotten a device that allowed Katie to talk on the phone, since she couldn't hear what the other person was saying.

"Oh and grab a pizza while your at it."

"Ian?" came the voice of Beth from the other phone.

"Hold on, Kate." He put the other phone to his ear. "Beth, please just try to get the plumbing fixed... if we have to shut down... fine."

"Ian? Are you listening? Hello?" Beep!

"You've got mail," spoke the computer.

"Ian?"

"Ian!"

"Alright, Beth, I'll be there later. Katie, I'll pick up milk and pizza."

"Thanks Ian!"

"See you soon, boss." Ian hung up both phones and put his head down, hitting the keyboard.

"Email deleted."

"UGH!"

-x-

Kath stood by the runway doorway as models were walking out onto the runway wearing the clothes that she had designed. "Okay Melody, you're up!" Kath glanced around. "Melody! Ugh, go on Christine." Kath said, straightening Christine's dress and then laying a pushing hand on her back, shoving her on the runway. The cameras on the runway flashed as the annual fashion show for Blush magazine, the company Kath worked for, proceeded.

"Hey Kath, take five. Reg! You're up at model check!" yelled Kath's boss, Tony. Kath sighed and walked into the break room where her co-workers were sitting around, chatting and snacking. The news was on the small television in the corner, something about a New York Library. Kath could hardly hear the story, but the picture changed to show a building in flames.

"Ugh, Kath your back at model check in two minutes. Reg isn't feeling to well." Tony's voice came over her headset. Kath shook her head and grabbed a cup of coffee and a donut. After scarfing both down quickly, she grabbed her clipboard and went back to work.

-x-

A half hour later after calling Ian, Katie sat in her office, trying to fix one of the faulty computers that were in the office. Luckily, she was able to keep her job, even if she couldn't answer phones or whatnot. She tapped some keys on the keyboard while in DOS mode, but still that didn't help. _Okay... Great. I'm probably gonna have to format it. This is just great,_ she thought sarcastically to herself.

The T.V in the corner of her office showed a building on fire, catching her attention. "The library on 5th Street has gone up in flames suddenly, for no apparent reason. Ten people were killed in the flames, though the other thirty got safely out," said the closed captioning that were on the bottom of the screen.

_Well, that sucks,_ Katie thought, going back to the computer.

-x-

"Yep... definitely can not be fixed by tonight." Ian was checking out the blown plumbing and the club, and was getting really stressed out. "Okay, Beth, make the calls, put up the signs. We are shutting down for the night. I'll make a call to get this fixed." Beth nodded and walked away. Ian sighed. "Why me?" He got up and went to his office, closing the door behind him. Ian picked up the phone and dialed the number for the plumber. "Hi, this is Ian King from King's Corner. My plumbing exploded and I need it fixed right away."

"Okay, well we will send a guy out there in two days to check it out."

"Two days? I don't have two days. I need this plumbing fixed tonight!"

"Sorry, but we are booked up. Two days is the best I can do."

"Ugh... fine. Thanks." Ian hung up. "I need air." He quickly went outside the club and leaned against the wall.

"Hey, you look stressed. Need a smoke?"

Ian looked to his right. A short, chubby man was standing there. "Oh no thanks. I don't smoke."

"Ah come on. It makes you feel better. Great for stress."

Ian sighed. "Well... I don't know."

"It will make you feel better. Trust me."

Ian thought for a moment. "Okay, hand me one."

The man took out a pack and then handed Ian a cigarette. "Here," he said, handing Ian a small lighter. Ian lit the cigarette and the breathed in. A second later his face went red and he started coughing. The man laughed. "Always like that the first time." Ian nodded. He could not believe he was doing this... yet it was oddly relaxing.

-x-

Kath opened the door to the manor, throwing her belongings on the couch. "Hello! Anyone home?" No one answered, but Kathy remembered her sister's disorder and began looking around the house to check. Finding her in the kitchen, Kath waved her hand and Katie looked up. "Hey." she said, spelling the word since she had forgotten the sign, though it was just too short of a word to probably have a sign. The doorbell rang. "Bell." Kath signed.

Katie frowned then said/signed, "Don't we ever not have company?" Kath shrugged as she walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway. Opening the door she saw a UPS man. "You live here?" he asked grumpily.

"Yeah." she said, eyeing the package in his hand.

"Sign here." He said, forcing a clipboard into her hands. After signing, the man handed her the package and left. Seeing it was addressed to her, Kath sat down on the couch in the living room and eyed it.

"Meh, It's probably some crappy make-up kit I ordered when I was like twelve and it finally came." Laying it down, she turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. Katie came in and sat down next to her, and curiously opened Kath's package. "You know it's illegal to open other people's mail without their permission," Kath signed/said while watching a report on an earlier police chase.

"It's just a CD," Katie said. Kath looked over to see a remorseful look on her face, but it disappeared quickly. Kath knew she missed listening to music and took the box quickly with the CD and letter upstairs. Coming back just as quick as she left, Kath sat back down. "Hey have you seen all those fires lately? I guess some pyromaniac is on the loose."

Katie signed/said, "Yeah, and all in New York. Hope they catch the guy."

They heard the slam of the door and Ian came into the living room. "Hey guys," he signed and said at the same time. Ian took off his coat and threw it on the couch next to the girls and then sat down in the chair. "Man I have had the worst day. Hundreds of letters came in for me again today. And then I got a call from Beth. She told me that our plumbing at the club exploded and we had to shut down for tonight. It was Raffle Ticket night! And the plumber can't come for two days." Ian sighed. "So what's up with you guys?"

Kath coughed as Ian's jacket landed next to her. "Eck what is that smell?" she asked, covering her mouth and nose.

"Oh... um... I went to a bar after I checked out the damage of the plumbing at the club. Some people around me were smoking. Smell must have got on my coat." Ian flashed a grin and glanced at the television. "Whoa... that is a big fire. I heard there has been a whole bunch of them this week. No one knows how they are started. What do you guys think?"

"Gas leaks?" Katie asked carelessly. "Although, gas leaks all around the city would be a little weird.."

"I hate to sound so cliché, but it could be..." Ian raised a brow. "You know.. a little... 'out-there'." Kath said.

"What do you mean 'out-there'?" Ian asked.

"Do I have to spell it out? I was just saying that it could be something from our neck of humanity."

"...You're weird. Why don't you just say demon and get it over with?" Katie asked, then shook her head.

"I don't wanna jinx us or anything. We haven't had a demon in a while, the last thing we need is one."

"Well, welcome to the life of witches. I am your host, Katie King, and here to make your trip painful and horribly annoying. Any time you wish to leave... You can't." Katie grinned at Kath, then leaned back on the couch. "So anyways, that means we have to look in the BOS, right?"

"Yeah yeah yeah..." Kath said while nodding her head and standing up. "After you, my most gracious host," she signed and said to Katie.

Ian sighed. "Ugh... I can't handle a demon this week. I am under _way_ too much stress."

"I say take a day off of work... Your club'll be shut down for two days, right?" Katie asked.

"It may be closed, but I still have lots of work to do. Scheduling, budgets... the works. And I have to figure out how I am going to make up the money for the lost days." Ian leaned back and sighed again. "Okay, instead of going through the Book with a fine tooth comb trying to find something... I say we go to the most recent site of a fire. I can try to get a premonition and see if it really was a demon."

"I doubt very seriously that they'll let a few pedestrians just waltz into a fire scene. But I suppose it's worth a try," Kath said, trying to be optimistic.

"Okay. The news said it was at 5th Street, so I guess we'll orb to an alley near there?" Katie said. The others nodded, so she orbed them to a dark, dank alley. "Oh, how nice."

"Alright, let's go," Ian said, leading the way. They got to the site where the fire had been and looked around. "Okay," Ian signed, "Katie, freeze the place."

Katie raised her hands and the place froze. "Come on." Katie led the way this time to the back of the building where no one was. "'Kay, Ian, do your stuff."

Ian bent down and set his hands on the ashes. He concentrated hard and then drew in a gasp of breath. "Oh, hot hot hot!"

Kath looked around the charred building. She could sense something odd about it, but it could be anything. Suddenly Ian fell back. "Well? Did you see anything useful?" Kath asked, walking back over to him.

"Uh... I saw a lot of fire... and then some of the flames transformed into this guy." At that moment Ian's cell rang. "Hello?" Ian said, answering it.

"It's Beth, Ian. We are having more problems here at the club. We need you."

Ian sighed. "Okay, I'll be there soon." Ian hung up and looked at his sitters. "Alright, you two go home and look in the Book for demons that can change into fire. I have to get to he club. And don't worry, I'll grab a cab."

"If your sure... But be careful, okay? There's this odd demon that enjoys killing people, like they all do, and we don't even know what one," Katie cautioned.

"Don't worry, I will be careful. Now go on," Ian said, shooing them away. Both of the girls shrugged, then Katie orbed them out.

Ian sighed and then turned to the street. "Taxi!" he yelled, waving his arm. One taxi sped past Ian, splashing him with muddy water. "Ugh... this is not my day." Ian looked around and saw a Gas Station. "Oh... why not?" He walked into the Gas Station and went up to the counter. "Uh... hi," Ian said to the grumpy looking cashier. "May I have a pack of cigarettes?"

"What kind?"

"Um... that one?" Ian said, pointing.

The man grabbed a pack of Camel cigarettes and gave them to Ian. "And can I have a lighter too?" After he had paid for the items he went outside and leaned against the wall. "Why am I doing this?" he asked himself.

_Because you are stressed,_ said his mind.

Ian lit a cigarette and then drew in a puff, letting it out after a moment. "It does relax me... and I need that."

-x-

"He's not gonna be careful, is he?" Kath asked as Katie flipped through the Book of Shadows, looking for the demon that caused the fire.

"No, of course not. You know him, always rushing into danger, while protecting us." Katie shook her head. "Gets annoying, don't it?"

Just as Kath was about to reply, Katie exclaimed, "I found the demon! Listen to this.

"Pyro demon: An upper level demon that can control and also become fire. This demon frequently took part in the burning of witches, becoming the fire, making the flames bigger, and causing more pain. Now Pyro demons mostly set fires to buildings for fun. They may be jokesters, but don't be fooled. Pyro demons can be very deadly."

"Interesting..." Kath mumbled. "I think we found our demon. Now all we have to do is find Ian, and a really big water hose..."

"Yeah... Right. You call Ian then." Katie tossed Kath her own unused cell phone, which she mainly carried by habit, then sat on the couch that was in the attic. Kath dialed the number of Ian's cell, then waited for an answer.

-x-

Ian stood in King's corner, watching as Beth pointed out more problems. "Mold, mold, and mold," she said. "I don't know what we are going to do."

At that moment Ian's cell phone rang. "Hello?" he said, answering it.

"Hey Ian. We've find out about the demon and are going hunting. We'll pick you up at the club, okay?" Kath said, twirling her hair and then shaking her head at herself, stopping her twirling.

"Okay, but I have a lot of work to do. Can't you guys take care of this demon on your own?"

"Um... I guess you could meet us there later on. Katie could orb if anything too bad happened. But it can't be too much later, we may really need your help." Kath said, sighing.

"Well I am having a really bad day. I can't deal with demons right now. So you two can do it on your own." Ian hung up and sighed. "I'm going to go catch some air for a minute Beth." Ian then grabbed his jacket and went outside.

-x-

"Well?" Katie asked as Kathy hung up and sighed again. She could tell it wasn't something she was going to like. "What he say?"

"We're on our own. Seems the club is just a little more in need of him instead the fate of New York," Kath said going down to Ian's room, picking up the map and crystal. "We're going to go scry some ashes. Go from there, I guess."

"Right. You turned your back on me and talked. Thanks," Katie said sarcastically. "Anyway, how about we go pick up some ashes and scry for the demon?"

#I'm not all that excited about going to that creepy building again, you know.# Katie orbed them to the flame-ruined library.

"Creepy? It's just a burnt down building with a lot of ashes... Oh. I see your point." Katie shrugged, then went back to scrying. "Okay, got him. He's at... Ian's club?"

Kath raised a brow in surprise. "Are you sure?" She said, walking over to Kate and kneeling down next to her. It was strongly tugging at Ian's club.

-x-

Ian stood outside King's Corner. "Two jobs... two sisters... and lots and lots of demons. My life is hell at the moment." Ian took out a cigarette and his lighter. "At least I have these things now. Very relaxing." Ian lit up the lighter and then suddenly the flames shot up into his face. "AH!" Ian yelled. He fell to the ground, his hands over his face. A ball of fire hung in the air and then transformed into a demon.

"Well well... did I hurt ya?" The demon bent down next to Ian and whispered. "I'm Seipher, the demon you were looking for. See, I don't want witches on my tail. So think of this as a warning. Back off... or else." He then stood up and disappeared in a burst of flame.

-x-

"Yeah, I'm sure. We have to get over there... If it attacks—" A wave of extreme heat appeared out of nowhere, almost burning Katie's face. She fell back into the ashes, startled by the sudden heat. "Did you feel that heat?" she asked Kath.

"No I didn't. Are you alright?" Kath asked, kneeling down next to her sister. "Maybe you were just imagining it."

"No.. it was... It just came out of no where, then disappeared..." Realization hit her almost as hard as the warmth. "Ian! Come on!" Katie orbed to the entrance of the club, out of sight of the road and the bar, then walked to where Beth was. "Beth, where's Ian? It's important."

"He's out back," Beth replied, concerned. "What's wrong?"

Not answering, the two ran to the back where Ian laid in pain on the ground. Kath ran over to him. His breathing was shallow and his breath smelt horridly like smoke. She laid her hands on his face and a faint gold light appeared and the burns were gone. "What's this?" Kath asked, holding up a cigarette.

Ian sat up. "Um... it's not mine. Someone else must have dropped it."

"What happened?" Katie asked quickly.

"The demon attacked me. His name is Seipher. He says back off... And I for one am all for that," Ian signed and said back.

"Ian! We can't do that. Innocents are dying, and it's our job to protect them! That's why we have powers," Katie told him, annoyed. "There's something wrong with you. You're acting weird."

"No, I'm not. I am actually making sense. I am sick of all this fighting. I need my life back. I am handling two jobs, demons, and trying to protect you two." Ian stood up. "Screw the Power Of Three. I'm done." Just then a pack of cigarettes fell out of his jacket.

"What the hell? Ian, you're smoking now? Are you insane!" Katie felt like throwing her brother into the wall and keeping him there until he smarted up. She quickly resisted that urge. "So this how you burned yourself. Smart, Ian, really smart. We have a fire demon on our hands, and here you are, playing with it!"

"I... I am just so stressed out! I can't handle all of this right now and the smoking relaxes me. What is the problem with that?"

"What's wrong! God, you _are_ insane! Smoking can kill you! Just like it almost did a few minutes ago!" Right now she was relived that she had learned to lip-read pretty good.

Ian glared at Katie. "That was a fluke. The demon just took that from of the fire. And I am not going to go after him so he shouldn't attack me again."

"Well then I guess we're going to have to defeat the demon ourselves. If we die, I hope you're happy with your decision," Katie told him coldly. "Come on Kathy, let's get out of here." Katie orbed herself and Kath back to the library to drive the car back to the manor.

Ian went back into the club after picking up his things. "Beth, I'm going home. I'll be back later."

Fifteen minutes later Ian walked through the door to the manor. Katie and Kathy were not home yet. Ian went up to the attic and sat down at an old table with many potion ingredients on it. Ian grabbed some paper and then wrote a spell. "Alright... here goes. These powers of mine I want no more, my heart is cold, my mind is sore. I give up my gifts in this hour, vanish my words, vanish my power." A ball of golden light shot out of Ian's chest and then disappeared. "It's done then..."

-x-

Katie slammed the door closed behind her, still furious. "I can't believe him! The nerve! Smoking... Screw the Power of Three... Ugh!" She threw her coat on the couch and stomped up the stairs, with Kath following.

Kath shook her head as they climbed the stairs. _#He couldn't have been serious,#_ she said telepathically.

"Yeah well, let's just hop— Ian! What are you doing?" Katie stopped suddenly in the doorway of the attic, which resulted in Kath walking into her.

Ian looked ay his sisters and then got up. "I just said a spell to get rid of my powers. I am through with this witch thing. It will be one big load off my shoulders."

Kath gasped. "You're kidding! Ian, how could you! Things would have gotten better. This was just.. way too extreme."

"Ian! You... gave up your powers? I... You...! I can't handle this right now." Katie turned and stomped back down the stairs to the living room.

"She doesn't understand!" Ian yelled. "No one does! My life will be easier now. I won't have to risk my life day in and day out. You should do what I did, Kathy. Get rid of your powers... get rid of this crappy life." Ian grabbed keys off the table and then walked out of the room. A minute later Kathy saw his car pull out of the drive way and speed off down the street.

Kath sighed and looked at the spell that Ian had written out. She remembered the pain her powers brought, but she shook her head quickly. Walking into to the living room, she signed "Tobias' house." and left. She couldn't handle all this right now.

Katie sat on the couch, staring at the picture taken right after Kath had entered their lives. All three of them seemed so happy, so proud that they had another little sister. _Now though..._ She shook her head. What happened? Again she shook her head. She knew exactly what happened, what put tension over the family. First, her hearing was gone. That put her in for two months, which made hospital bills, and the house income suffered a little.

Next, the whole family had to learn how to live with her... disability. That made demon attacks harder, for she couldn't hear a thing. With all that on Ian's shoulders, with his idiotic idea that he had to protect them, and his two jobs, it wasn't really a wonder that he did what he did.

Katie looked at the picture next to the first one. It was one of just her and Ian, smiling sleepily as she rested her head on his shoulder. She guessed that was taken after she had been captured by the demon, the Collector, earlier in the year. A little after Kathy had come along. They both were loving the moment. Katie remembered Ian saying he wouldn't let anything else happened to her. _Well that worked out well, didn't it, big brother?_ she thought bitterly.

She noticed with a jolt that tears were coming down her cheeks. _No no no... You cannot be crying. You're doing this too much, Katie. Come on.. Stop it._

_Why?_ another voice in her head answered back. _Why can't I just let out some feelings? It's not like I'm in a room full of people here. The house is empty, for God sakes!_

Katie wiped her eyes. _Alright, I don't need those two. I'll just go get the demon myself. I'm the strongest one now. Ian's powers are gone, so that leaves me with the strongest powers. Just scry for the demon, then orb over there. Can't be that hard. Okay... here we go._ She started to stand up and felt a hand on her shoulder, coming from behind. Resisting the urge to use her power, she whipped around and saw Nathan.

"Oh, Nate. I thought you were... someone else," she said.

"Kate, what's wrong?" he asked, concern etched in every line of his face. He came over and sat down on the couch next to her, putting an arm around her. Katie leaned on him.

"It's... just a family feud. I can't really tell you much more than that, Nate, I'm sorry." She sighed. _Guess this means no vanquish,_ she thought.

-x-

Ian sat in the back of a darkened club room, strobe lights sending streams of dazzling light across the walls. But Ian was not paying attention to the strobe lights. He was absorbed in making out with a girl he had met up at the bar. The last relationship Ian had was over a month ago. It hadn't lasted long. Katie had been in the hospital and Ian spent much of his time there with her. So the girlfriend had moved on. So Ian was not in the mood for relationships right now. It had been a long time since he had some real fun. Ever since he got his powers his love life had dwindled.

"Hey," said the girl, whose name was Samantha, "let's get out of here. It's a little too crowded in here."

"Sure. Wanna go back to your place?"

"Nah, my place is a dump. What about your place?"

"Well... it's definitely not a dump." Ian didn't want to run in to Katie or Kathy right now... but he decided to chance it. "Okay, let's go." Ian grabbed Sam's hand and led her off to the exit.

-x-

Kath knocked on Tobias' door. He yawned while opening the door. "Kat, what's wrong?"

She shivered in the cold, and wiped her eye. She must have been crying. "Look, I just need a place to stay right now. The Kings are a little... disgruntled." Tobias moved and Kath entered, hanging her jacket on the rack by the door.

"So what's going on?" he said, walking into his kitchen, Kath following.

"Well, Ian started smoking, Katie and I found him after some fire demon burned his face off, Ian went home, got rid of his powers, Katie's a mess, Ian left." Kath said, as she sat down at the table.

Tobias fixed two cups of coffee and sat down across from her. "Well it sounds as though they're going through a tough time." Kath looked at him strangely. "What you just said. It was all about your brother and sister. What about you?" Kath sighed and rubbed the rim of her coffee mug.

"I'm tired of it too now. This killed my parents, and it's ripping the three of us apart now." Tobias set down his coffee.

"You aren't actually considering ridding yourself of your powers too, are you?" he asked. Kath took a sip of her coffee.

"I don't... know." she said.

"You couldn't, Kat. Not after all we've been through, though it's nothing compared to now. You don't realize how special you are. If you did this, it'd be the worst mistake of your life, just like it is Ian's."

Kath had gulped down her coffee and walked over to the sink to rinse it out. "I..." Kath wiped her eye with her dry hand. "I don't know, Tobias. Ian said that it could help, and you don't know how... how... confused I am right now."

Tobias had walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "It's going to be okay. It always turns out that way, you know that."

"But what if it doesn't this time?" Kath said quickly, breaking his grip on her and walking a few steps away. "What if Ian has really lost his powers, and what about Katie? She's insane now that she's lost her hearing. I don't want to be a King. I want to go back to being just Kathryn Hughes." Kath kept wiping her eyes, being that she hated to cry in front of people, or at all for that matter. Tobias stood in front of her and just hugged her, Kath falling limp in his arms.

"Shh.." she heard him whisper through her tears.

-x-

Ian opened the door to the manor and led Sam inside. "Oh my god, this place is huge!"

Ian put a finger to his lips to silence her. He did not want to alert his sisters. "Okay, this way." They passed the living room; Katie and Nathan were asleep on the couch. Ian pulled Sam upstairs and into his room. He quickly closed the door and when he turned around Sam already was undressing. "Okay then." Ian smiled and then followed suit.

-x-

Seipher flamed into the King manor. It was dark and very quiet. Seipher walked through the foyer and looked into the living room. There lay one of the witches, along with a young man. Turning, Seipher headed up the stairs. He looked in one room and found it empty. Opening the door to the largest bedroom he saw the male witch and a woman there. They were asleep as well.

"Only two of the witches are here," Seipher whispered. "I wanted to take them all out at once... but oh well. Two will have to suffice." A fireball appeared in his hand and he walked slowly towards the two sleeping figures. But he stopped as the female stirred. Seipher quickly snuffed out the fireball and stepped into the closet to hide.

"Ian?" the female said.

"Hmm?" came the mumbled reply.

"Where's your bathroom?"

Ian yawned. "Down the hall on the right."

"Thanks." The woman got up and left the bedroom.

Seipher heard the bathroom door close and he stepped out of the closet. Moving towards the bed he conjured a fireball again. "Time for you to die..." The next thing Seipher knew Ian had thrown off the covers and was up on his feet. Ian swung his arm and hit Seipher's wrist, knocking the fireball out of his hand and against the wall, leaving a scorch mark. Seipher charged, but Ian side stepped and then turned around. Seipher turned as well. But as he did Ian kicked hard. Seipher flew back. _SMASH!_ He went through the window and fell to the sidewalk below. Groaning, Seipher got up and brushed the glass off of himself. He looked up and saw Ian in the window, glaring down at him.

"I'll be back," Seipher whispered. He then flamed out.

"Ian?" Ian turned around and saw Sam standing in the door way, wearing nothing but one of Ian's T-shirts. "Ian, what happened?" Ian sighed.

"Someone got in the house. Robber it seems... I must have forgotten to lock the door." Sam quickly went over to the smashed window.

"You kicked him out the window?" Ian nodded.

"I am trained in the martial arts." Sam looked at him.

"Really? That is _so_ cool." Ian smiled.

"Ian? What the hell is going on?" Ian and Sam turned. Katie stood there with Nathan. "And who the hell is she?" Katie continued.

"There was a robber. I... kicked him out the window and he ran off. And this is Samantha. Samantha... this is my sister Katie and her boyfriend Nate." Nate waved a little but Katie hit him with the back of her hand on his chest.

"You live with your sister?" Sam asked.

"Yep... both of them. This house is very big so I asked them to come live here with me."

Sam smiled. "Oh... you are so sweet!" Katie rolled her eyes. She knew it was no robber who broke in. It was a demon. And here Ian was with some slut. "Well we are going back to bed. Night." She then left the doorway, dragging Nathan with her.

"Uh, well my other sister Kathy isn't here tonight. So we can sleep in her room. I'll clean this up in the morning."

"Don't you want to call the cops?"

"Nah... nothing was stolen. And I can take care of myself. Don't need the police." Sam took Ian's face in her hands and kissed him.

"You are so brave," she said.

Ian smiled again. "I know."

-x-

Kath woke the next morning at the smell of breakfast cooking. She looked around and decided to put on Tobias' plaid pajamas and oversized college t-shirt. She dragged her slippered feet into the kitchen, wiping her eyes at the sun shining through the window over the sink. "Morning," Tobias called from over the stove. Kath sat down at the table and laid her head in her arms that had formed a circle on the table.

She woke again at the clinking of plates on the table, and sat up immediately, Tobias' placing at plate under her. Picking up a piece of bacon, Kath sighed. "We're not going to start today like this again," Tobias said, salting his eggs.

"Like what?" Kath asked groggily.

"You know what I mean." Kath raised her brows while taking a long sip of coffee. "Your family."

Kath's eyes grew wide. "That's right!" She said, standing up and walking down the hallway.

"Wait!" Tobias called after her. Kath turned quickly. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Kath looked over and saw her purse and keys. "You're right!" She grabbed them and shut the door as Tobias's hollered, "No, not that! Try your clothes!" after her. But she'd already pulled out of his driveway and was speeding down the road towards home.

Kath quickly unlocked the door and walked in. She heard the pouring of cereal to a bowl in the kitchen. Kath briskly walked down the hallway and into the kitchen where Katie was eating cereal while reading the paper. Katie looked up and saw Kath and gave her a strange glance over. "What are you wearing?" she asked with a confused look.

Kath looked down and saw Tobias' clothes. "Gah, forgot about that... Well anyways, is everything okay now?"

"Heh, are you kidding? Ian brought home a slut, who was building up his ego _way_ too much for my comfort. _And_ that demon attacked. We have to get rid of him... soon," Katie told her, taking another bite of cereal.

Kath sighed and plopped down in the chair in front of Katie. Just then a strange woman walked into the kitchen, grabbed a bowl and sat down next to them. Kath raised a brow at Katie. Katie just nodded. Then Ian walked in.

Ian glanced at Katie and Kathy. "Uh... Sam? I kinda feel like going out to eat..."

Samantha frowned. "But I want to meet with your family." Sam took Kathy's hand and shook it. "Hi, my name is Samantha. Sam for short. It's nice to meet you."

Kath blinked absentmindedly. Katie kicked her leg from under the table, jolting her back into reality. "O— I'm Kath... yeah... Nice meeting you too." Kath said, looking up at Ian.

"Sam, I really want to go out," Ian said. Sam nodded, then they both left the kitchen. A minute later, the two sisters heard the door close.

"Told you," Katie said calmly, walking over to put her bowl in the sink. Then she turned and looked at Kath. "Okay, as much as I'm hating Ian right now, we need to somehow get this fixed. But first, we need to get rid of the de— Hi Nate," Katie said, looking at the flicker of movement at the corner of her eye that turned out to be Nathan.

"Hi... what were you saying? Get rid of what?"

"The... dirty dishes. Yeah, we have a lot of them around here." Katie smiled and went over to him. "Nothing weird of anything."

"Ah." Nate kissed Katie lightly and then said, "Well I have to get going. There's a client that wants to meet with the boss. Don't want to make a bad impression." He kissed Katie again, waved to Kathy, and then left.

Katie sighed, relieved. "Alright, do we still have those ashes from the burnt down library?"

"Um, I think so. If not, I think there's plenty on our shoes." Kath said with a laugh while walking over to the coffee pot, pouring herself yet another cup of coffee.

"Right..." Katie smiled faintly and left the kitchen, headed for the attic. When she got there, she found the scrying map, crystal, and the small bowl of ashes left over from yesterday. Dipping the crystal in the pile of ashes, she then swung it around the map. Soon she got a location. Grabbing the map up, she ran back down stairs to find Kath now watching TV. "Oh come on! Demon hunting, remember?"

Kath shrugged and got in the car. "Where is it?" she asked, starting the engine. Kath shifted uneasily. _Where's underwear when you need them?_

Katie looked over at AK oddly. "Maybe you should change first?"

Kath shook her head. "It's fine. Besides, don't get me started, I'll take hours. Now... location, please?" Katie pointed to the map, and sat back in the seat as Kath sped off to the demon's location.

-x-

"Alright. So... He has to be around here somewhere," Katie told her, not talking, but in sign language only. She wanted to be as quiet as possible as to not alert the demon. They were walking in a deserted parking garage, up a ramp. It was devoid of all human sounds. The occasional sound of a bird, cricket, or frog made Kath jump at the unexpected sound, which was when Katie kept looking at her oddly.

Kath looked around. A shiver ran down her spine. There was an odd presence here. "He's definitely here. Definitely," she signed. Suddenly there was the sound of crackling fire above them. Kath tapped Katie on the shoulder, pointing up, who looked up to see the fire raging above the two.

"Come on!" Katie yelled, grabbing Kath's arm and pulling her away from the fire above them. Just after they got out of the way, a burst of raw flame hit the spot where they were.

Kath screamed. They turned and the demon was in front of them. Kath jumped and suddenly beams shot from her hands, hitting the wall behind him. "What was that?" Katie asked, freezing the demon for a split second.

Kath opened her mouth to answer, but Katie blurted out, "Whatever it was do it again!" really fast. Kath looked at her hands and raised them with a jolt. A pair of twin beams shot from each of them, hitting the demon in the chest. He fell back but stood up quickly.

"Ha, witches. You always think you're going to win."

"Oh but we will," Kath said with supreme confidence.

Kath had had only a few lessons with Ian about the martial arts, and was too afraid to fail. But it was worth a shot. She stood in her defensive stance.

"What are you doing?"

"This," Kath mumbled under her breath while making a punch toward the demon's face, only to be stopped by his bulky hand. He twisted her arm, flipping her over and making her land roughly on the ground. "Okay... maybe not." She moaned in pain. The demon was advancing towards Katie as Kath looked up.

Katie glared at the demon, waiting for the perfect moment to attack. It came a second later, when he threw a blast of fire at her face. She raised her hand, and the flames stopped right in front of her face. "What a wonderful power boost anger is, don't you agree?" she asked the Pyro demon, stepping out from in front of the fire.

"Idiot witches. You think you can defeat me? You don't even have your precious Power of Three anymore," he sneered.

Katie stepped back, surprised that he knew this. Just then, a bright light came, once again, from Kathy's hands. "Good job, Kath!" she told her sister. But before the beam of light could touch the demon, a shield of fire appeared on the demon. Kathy's attack bounced off the shield, and into Katie's chest. She stumbled back, then fell to the floor, unconscious.

Kath sat up and tried to run over to Katie, but the demon stepped between them. He stepped closer, fire engulfed all around him, raising the temperature to at least 130 F. Sweat poured down Kath's face as she tried to think of a plan.

"You better think quicker," he whispered as he took another step. Kath raised her hands again, shooting another pair of beams, but it was absorbed in this fire shield he had created. He grabbed her wrists, making her skin peel away under the fire.

"KATIE!" Kath screamed at the top of her lungs. Pain shot throughout her body. "SOMEBODY HELP ME!" she screamed louder, if that was even possible. The skin along Kath's body was beginning to twist under the intense heat. She heard the demon's low rumbling laughter and looked up through her overflowing tears. Just as she did, he threw her against the concrete wall. Bones shattered, Kath faded into darkness.

-x-

"So then my mom went insane and started throwing turkey everywhere. That was when I decided to leave home." Sam finished her story and took a bite of her pancakes.

Ian nodded. He wasn't really listening. He was lost in thought. He could have been killed last night. He had gotten lucky by kicking Seipher out the window. But what would have happened if Sam hadn't waken him up? They might both be dead now. And Seipher might have then killed Katie. And then Kathy. _And Seipher is still out there,_ Ian thought. He was starting to regret giving up his powers...

_No! No I'm not. I am glad I gave them up. Life will be easier now. _Ian chewed his food slowly. But will it? Maybe life will just be harder. Maybe without Ian there to protect them his sisters might die. Maybe—

"AH!" Ian cried. White hot pain had just shot through him. His mind was erupting!

"Ian? What's wrong?" Sam looked very concerned. Everyone in the restaurant was watching him.

"Uh... the food burned my tongue." Ian tried to think through the pain. It was horrible. "Sam... I have to go. I'm sorry." Ian got up quickly. "Ian, wait!" Sam called. But Ian ran out of the place and got into his car.

"Katie and Kathy are in trouble... I can feel the pain of both of them..." Ian sped out of the parking lot, his tires squealing. Ian knew where his sisters were. He could sense them through the pain. He had to get to them before it was too late.

-x-

_SCREECH!_ Ian slammed on the brakes as he arrived at a parking garage. He was close... he knew it! Ian ran inside. There was Seipher. He was holding a fireball in his hand. Katie was groaning and trying to get to her feet. But Seipher threw the fireball, hitting Katie hard. She fell to the cement.

Ian could see charred skin where the fireball had hit. "_NO_!" Ian yelled. He ran to his sister and kneeled down. "Katie, wake up. Wake up!" But Katie was not breathing. Ian glanced over and saw Kathy lying against the wall. There were burns all over her. Ian ran over to her. She wasn't breathing either. "No... no! YOU _MONSTER_!" Ian turned in a mad rage at Seipher, who stood there, smiling. "How could you?" Ian whispered.

Seipher shrugged. "All in a days work. Now it's your turn." He conjured a fireball but Ian leapt up and ran at him.

There was no time for fancy martial arts moves. Ian tackled the demon to the ground. He slammed his fists into Seipher's face. "YOU EVIL SON OF A BITCH! YOU KILLED MY SISTERS!" Seipher tried to push Ian off, but Ian was insane now. His sisters were dead. He didn't care what happened to him as long as he killed this demon.

Seipher flamed out and then flamed in again about twenty feet away. He was trying to catch his breath.

Ian crawled over to Katie and then dragged her limp body over to Kathy's. He sat there, tears streaming from his eyes, the drops falling onto his sisters bodies. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "This is all my fault." He took their hands into his and held them tightly. "I love you."

Suddenly Ian started to glow. Katie and Kathy did too. They were all engulfed in a brilliant light. A golden orb then shot down from the sky and went into Ian. The light faded and then went away. Katie and Kathy's wounds were gone. They opened their eyes and took in life-giving oxygen. "Oh my god," Ian said. "You guys are alive..."

Katie blinked. "What happened?" Her eyes then widened. "I can hear myself... I can hear!"

Kathy sat up. "Ian... what did you do? What happened?" Ian shook his head, tears of joy now streaming down his face.

"I don't know. It's impossible... but here you guys are. Alive! And Katie... you have your hearing."

Katie sat up too. "This is all so weird... but what about—"

"Me?" came a voice. They all turned. Seipher stood there, breathing hard, his face contort with anger. "It seems you have cheated death. But that was only luck." Seipher then conjured a fireball.

The three siblings stood up, holding hands. "Ian?" Katie asked. "Do you have your powers back?"

Ian grabbed a rock off the ground and threw it into the air. With a flick of his hand the rock exploded into tiny grains.

"Yep."

"Good. Then let's vanquish this demon!"

Ian nodded. "Repeat after me. Pyro demon."

"Pyro demon," the sisters said together.

"We end this show."

"We end this show."

"May the flames you spread."

"May the flames you spread."

"Consume you now."

"Consume you now!"

Seipher smirked, but his expression changed as he glanced at the fireball in his hand. It was growing larger and larger. It burned into his hand and then kept growing. Seipher screamed as the fireball consumed him. There was a large explosion that knocked them all off their feet. Seipher was gone. There was nothing left but a scorch mark on the cement floor.

They got up and stared at the spot where Seipher had just been. Ian then turned and grabbed both of his sisters in a hug. "I am really sorry! If I hadn't done all that stupid stuff the demon would have been vanquished yesterday."

"Ian, just calm down, alright? Stress can do odd things to you. I should know," Katie said, catching herself still using sign language. "Heh, oops," she muttered, lowering her hands.

"I am just so happy you guys are still alive. And I promise, I will stop the smoking right away. It wasn't really my style anyway." Ian smiled.

Kath nodded and looked down. She was still wearing pajamas, except now they were covered in parking garage juice that smelled horrible. "Let's get out of here. Besides, we have much cause for celebration, wouldn't you say?"

"Well I have to go back and apologize to Sam for leaving her so quickly. I like her... and I think something good could come from a relationship with her. So I will meet you guys back home, okay?" They nodded. Ian hugged them again and then left.

-x-

A day after the vanquish of the Pyro demon, Katie entered Kathy's room, where she was reading. "Hey sis," Katie said brightly, going over to the box that contained the CD from a few days ago, and pulling out its case.

"You do realize that not only is it still illegal to open other people's mail, but now you're going into theft?" Kath asked, not looking up from her book.

"Yep," Katie said leaving the room. Kath shook her head and turned the page.

Katie walked down the stairs with her Walkman in hand, then heard the doorbell. Going over to the door, she opened it to reveal Nathan. "Hey Nate! What's up?"

"Well, I was no where in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd drop by," Nate said, coming into the foyer.

"Honesty. I like that." Katie looked down at the Walkman, then shrugged and put it on the table by the door. "You know, I'm so happy to hear your voice again," she told him softly, stretching up to kiss him on the cheek.

"You.. What? You can hear again?" Katie just nodded, and Nate's face lit up. "That's wonderful!"

"In more ways than one," she replied, then noticed his confused look. "Never mind. I'll tell you someday... maybe." Katie grinned, then pulled him into the living room.

-x-

"Well, this is my club." Ian and Sam were sitting at the bar of Ian's club. It was still closed but it would be opening again on Friday once everything was cleaned out and fixed.

"Oh... it's great," Sam said. "I love it."

Ian smiled. "You'll love it even better once it is open again. So do you want to go get something to eat?"

"Yeah. I know a great place just down the road from here."

Sam got up and started toward the door. Ian reached into his pocket for his keys, but felt something else. He pulled it out. It was the cigarette pack. Ian stared at it for a second and then chucked it into the waste basket behind the counter. "Ian, you coming?" Sam called from the door.

Ian glanced up. "Yeah." Ian walked over to her and they left the club, holding hands.


	37. Copy Cat

**A/N: No clue what this one is about or if it's okay. If I remember right, AK and Ian wrote like, half of this without me. It's three-thirty AM, what do you people want from me! Right, so updates will be screwed from now on. Ian decided to stop writing for a time, and while we have half of season three done... it's mostly the middle half than the first half... four in the first half still in the works. Really sorry, you guys. Good news is that you still have half of season two to read. Heh, two to.**

**I need sleep.**

**Thank you to everyone to reviewed since the last time I thanked all of ya! Yay!**

* * *

**Episode 2.12: Copy Cat**

Katie walked around the Wiccan store, picking things up here and there. The place smelled strongly of incense and there were black drapes hanging everywhere. "Do you need any help?" came a voice. Katie turned around. A young woman with red hair stood there. She wore all black and had many rings on her fingers. There was also a magnificent necklace with a large blue jewel on it around her neck.

"Oh, no I am just browsing... that is a wonderful necklace."

The woman smiled. "Oh thank you. My mother recently died... she always said that I could have this when she passed away. It's called a Talisman. She said that it would protect me from any evils. My name is Miranda by the way," she said, extending her hand.

Katie shook it. "My name is Katie. Katie King."

"Very nice to meet you."

"Um," Katie said, "I was wondering... could I take a picture of that Talisman? I am kinda starting a scrap book of artifacts."

Miranda smiled. "Sure, go ahead." Katie took out her Polaroid camera and snapped a shot of the Talisman. The picture came out and Katie put the camera away.

"Thank you," she said.

"No problem. Would you like to buy anything today?" Katie shook her head.

"I don't have much money with me, but I would like to come back. So I'll see you another time." Miranda nodded and Katie left the shop.

-x-

"HIYA!" Ian kicked the punch bag, spun around, and kicked it again. Kathy sat on the basement steps, watching.

"So when is this going to be the simple learning part?" Kath asked with little enthusiasm. "I'm ready to kick butt!" Kath said, jumping up and punching the punching bag. "Ow," she mumbled, waving her hand in pain. "Okay... maybe I should learn to crawl before I walk then, eh?" she said with a weak smile.

Ian nodded. Kathy had asked him the night before if Ian could teach her how to do what he did. "First," Ian said, walking over to a section of the basement where he had laid a mat down, "you need to learn the proper techniques. Come over here."

Kath stood up and walked over to Ian and the mat. She was very excited about this and only hoped Ian wouldn't hurt her too badly.

"Okay, now... hit me."

"What?" Kathy said.

"Just hit me." Kathy shrugged and then threw a punch. But in a split second Ian grabbed her hand, twisted and flipped Kathy over onto the mat. "Not bad," Ian said, standing over her. "First of all, you are too slow. You need to work on your speed. And you left your other arm just hanging there, leaving yourself open to an attack. Always have one arm ready to defend."

Kath rubbed her head. She stood up again, brushing herself off. "Right, right, right," she mumbled. Kath placed her arms up, fists in balls, in front her in a defensive stance. Kath quickly punched Ian in the chest and then jumped off the mat.

"Stay on the mat," Ian said.

"Easy for you to say," Kath mumbled, walking back onto the mat.

"Okay, now that I have seen your stance, and the way you move, we can begin." Ian went and pulled a very short wooden table (about a foot high) with candles and matches on it over onto the mat. "Now to be a good fighter you need to know how to clear your mind. The key to that is meditation." Ian lit the candles and then sat down cross-legged. "Well, sit down."

Kath looked at him oddly, but decided to sit down. "You aren't serious... are you?" Kath asked. Ian looked up at her from the table sternly.

"Quite serious," he said, his voice deep.

"Oookay then," Kath said apprehensively while crossing her legs.

"Alright. Now we start the brea-" There was the slam of the front door from upstairs.

"I'm home!" came Katie's call. A minute later the door to the basement opened and Katie came down the stairs. "What are you guys doing?" she asked.

Kathy stood up abruptly. "Uh, nothing. Ian was just showing me a little martial arts and we were just about to meditate."

"Meditation is a very important part. You guys don't see me do it 'cause I really only have the time for it late at night." Ian stood up as well. "So where have you been?" he asked.

"Well I was just out and I saw this Wiccan store. It is a part of us, so I decided to check it out. It has a bunch of cool stuff and I am going to go back tomorrow. But right now I am going to make some dinner and work on my scrap book. Have fun meditating, Kathy," Katie said, grinning. She then went up the stairs and closed the door behind her.

"Pay no attention to her," Ian said, sitting down again. Kathy sat and Ian held out his hands to her. "Now take my hands." Kath nervously took his hands into hers. "Okay," Ian said quietly. "Now we breathe."

-x-

Katie walked into her room with a bowel of soup and her purse. She set the soup down on her bedside table and then opened her purse. Katie took out the picture of the Talisman and examined it. It had turned out well. Katie went over to her book case and took out her new scrap book. She sat on her bed and opened it.

There were some pictures there already. The Book Of Shadows was there, and so were some things she had taken pictures of at a museum she had gone to with Kathy the day before. Katie stuck her new picture in the book and wrote the word Talisman under it. "There... this scrap book is beginning to fill up." Katie smiled and then put the scrap book away. Turning on her TV, she changed to the news and picked up her soup.

-x-

Ian opened the fridge and pulled out two bottles of water. He handed one to Kathy and then closed the fridge door. "You did well for your first lesson. I want you to do some meditation tonight though. It really helps. Trust me." Ian opened his bottle and took a sip of water.

Kath took a long drink of water. "I will, Mr. King, I will," she said with a grin.

-x-

Ian knocked on Katie's door, lightly. It was getting pretty late and he wasn't sure if she was asleep. "Come in." Ian opened the door. Katie was sitting on her bed with a book. "Hi," she said.

"Hi. I just need a book to read and I thought you might have a good one."

"Go ahead," Katie said, motioning towards her book shelf. Ian went over and started to look at the books.

"Ah... what is this? Your scrap book?" Ian took it out and sat on the end of his sisters bed. He opened it and began to look at the pictures.

"Be careful with that. Don't smudge the pictures."

"I won't..." Ian looked at the one of the Talisman. "What's this?" Katie looked at the picture Ian was pointing at.

"Oh I got that one today. The lady at the Wiccan shop had that hanging around her neck and I asked if I could take a picture of it for my scrap book."

Ian nodded. "It's very beautiful..." Ian touched the picture and felt like he had just gotten an electric shock as he was pulled into a premonition.

There were flashes of a dark street with faint moonlight shining over it. A woman appeared. She was running, her curly hair flying behind her. Then there was a man... he grabbed the woman and stabbed her. The last thing Ian saw was the man ripping a necklace from the woman's neck.

"Whoa," Ian said, coming out of the vision.

"What? What did you see?" Katie asked him.

"Um... a dark street... and this woman was being attacked. Uh... this man stabbed her and then ripped something off of her neck." Ian looked down at the picture of the Talisman. "That... he took that."

"Was it night time?"

"Yeah."

"Was it tonight?"

"No... no I don't think so. The moon was out, and there is no moon tonight. Too many clouds. I think it happens tomorrow night."

Katie sighed. "Oh... poor Miranda. Her mom just died. We have to save her."

"Miranda?"

"The woman at the shop. She was the one wearing the Talisman... she said it was supposed to protect her. And she is Wiccan. It must have been a demon. The Talisman must have some sort of power."

Ian nodded. "Well it's getting late. We will figure out what to do tomorrow." He then got up and left the room without getting a book.

-x-

Kath walked into the kitchen briskly, taking a box of cereal, a bowel, and a spoon. Sitting down she smiled across the table at Katie, who was barely half awake. "How can you possibly be alive this early?" Katie asked, taking a bite of her cereal.

"I really don't know. Maybe there's more to that meditation stuff than what I thought," Kath said, pouring the cereal into the bowl. Ian then walked in. "Morning, Ian," Kath said enthusiastically.

Ian smiled. "Good morning. I am assuming you did the meditation thing last night?" Kath nodded happily and poured milk on her cereal, taking a huge bite. "See?" Ian said, sitting down at the table. "I told you it is a good thing to do. Now, down to business. Kathy, last night I had a premonition of a woman getting stabbed and her Talisman getting stolen. Katie said that she was the woman she met at the store. Miranda, was it?" Katie nodded. "Right, okay I am sure this guy was a demon. So he wants this Talisman for some reason. Now we have until tonight to prepare. Kathy I want you to check the Book Of Shadows for this Talisman. Katie will give you the picture of it."

Ian turned to Katie. "Kate, I want you to go back to that store today. Find out what you can about this Miranda and the Talisman. Where she got it and so on. I have to go to work. I'll be back around six. I'll tell Beth to handle the club. Be ready to give me the info you guys have gathered when I get back. Okay? Okay." Ian got up and grabbed his jacket and keys. "I'll see you guys later," he said, leaving.

"Aye, aye, Captain," Kath mumbled, taking another bite.

Katie got up and soon returned holding photo. "Here's the talisman." Kathy looked at the photo. She nodded and took a sip of orange juice. Taking a few fast bites, she took the photo and climbed the stairs to the attic.

Flipping through the pages, Kath looked at different demons and suddenly stopped on the picture of the talisman. "The Mirror Talisman," Kath read aloud to herself. "This Talisman was given the name of the Mirror Talisman because of the magnificent magic that it holds. It has the power to copy any active power that is used against it. An example is a fireball. If a witch, warlock, or demon would throw a fireball at the Talisman's owner, the Talisman would absorb the attack and then copy it. Anyone who possessed the Talisman from then on would have the power to throw fireballs. This Talisman lies in the hands of the Roberto family line as of now. Yet if it were to fall into enemy hands, chaos would break out." She nodded to herself.

"I'm going to the Wiccan store!" Katie called from downstairs.

Kath opened to her mouth to warn her sister of the Talisman's power, but she heard the door slam shut before she could let out a word. Kathy sighed. "Might as well give Ian call," she said, taking out her cell phone and dialing his number.

-x-

Ian sat at his desk at The Central, typing away on his computer. "And it is in my opinion that... no. It is in my honest observation that... no." Beep beep beep! Ian sighed and took his cell phone out of his jacket. "Hello?"

"Hey there, bro," Kath said. "Found our Talisman. It's the 'Mirror Talisman'," Kathy said. She then read the BOS page to him and plopped down on the couch. "How about that demon... what did he look like? Maybe I can find him and we can get a head start with that potion."

Ian sighed. "Sorry, it just all went by so fast."

"Well try to remember. Come on Ian."

"Kathy, this power is not something I can call up anytime and play back or pause or something!"

"Sorry... I didn't mean—"

"No... I'm sorry. Just a little tired. Okay, well you should go to work. I need to finish up this article. Okay?"

"Okay, I'll see you later."

"Right, bye." Ian hung up and turned back to his computer. "In truth I say... Dang it!"

-x-

Katie stepped inside the Wiccan shop for the second time. It smelled just as strongly of incense as the day before. She looked around for Miranda but did not see her. "Excuse me," Katie asked the woman at the counter, who had short blonde hair and wore a lot of make-up. "Is Miranda here today?"

The girl shook her head. "No, it is her day off."

"Um... do you know where she is? I really need to talk to her." The girl nodded and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.

"Here is her address. You can most likely find her there."

Katie took the paper and smiled. "Thank you."

-x-

Cronan watched Miranda through the window of her home. The woman was meditating and she had her eyes closed. "The Talisman will be mine. She does not even know of its power. It will be easy to take it from her." There was the slam of a car door and Cronan turned to the street. A young woman with brunette hair had just stepped out of a red Mazda. Cronan sensed powerful magic in her. "A witch... what is she doing here?" Cronan then ducked down into the bushes.

Katie got up to the door of Miranda's house and rang the bell. A moment later the door opened and there stood Miranda. "Oh, hello. Can I help you?"

"Hi," Katie said. "Um... actually. Well... can I come in?" Miranda nodded and opened the door wider for Katie to enter. She did so and looked around. The place smelled just like the Wiccan shop, and had the same attire as well. Miranda led Katie into the living room and asked her to sit down. Katie did and then was about to speak, but Miranda spoke first.

"Can I get you some tea?" Katie shook her head.

"No. But thank you. Um... I wanted to ask you more about that Talisman of yours. Uh, did your mother ever tell you anything about it?"

Miranda stared at Katie for a second then said, "Only that it was very special and that it had been passed down through many generations. Why do you ask?"

Katie sighed. "Okay, let's just cut to the chase. I am a witch. A real one. With powers and everything. My brother and sister are also witches. And my brother had a premonition when he touched the picture of the Talisman of you getting attacked and the Talisman being stolen."

A frown was plastered on Miranda's face, but it slowly faded. "A premonition? That is a wonderful gift to have... very rare... very powerful."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I need to take you back to my house so we can protect you."

Miranda laughed. "Ah, I am safest here. And the Talisman will protect me as my mother said it would."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Look, lady. If I hadn't come here then you would have not had a chance. You would have been killed. When my brother gets a premonition that means we need to protect the innocent that is in it. You HAVE to come with me. Trust me... you will be safest at my house. We are powerful witches. We can protect you."

"...What is your name again?"

"Katie. Katie King."

Realization came upon Miranda's face. "You... you are from the King witch line. Yes... I have heard of you." She nodded and got to her feet. "You are right," she said. "I will be safest with you."

Katie grinned. "Alright. Let's get going."

"NO!" cried a voice. SMASH! The window blew in as someone slammed through it. He rolled to his feet and stood up. "My name is Cronan. And you are not going anywhere." His eyes glowed red and white hot beams blasted from them, hitting Katie in the chest, and knocking her over. Cronan turned to Miranda. "Give me the Talisman." Miranda held the Talisman in front of her, holding it up like a shield.

"Never!" she cried. Cronan pulled an athame out of his jacket and threw it at Miranda.  
"No!" Katie yelled, throwing up her hands. The athame froze in midair. Katie then flicked her hand and sent it flying into Cronan's arm.

"AH!" he yelled with pain. Katie took this moment and ran over to Miranda. She grabbed her hand and orbed them both out to the car. A second later they sped off down the street.

-x-

"Ugh!" Kathy moaned as she looked through her closet while curling her blonde hair with a curling iron. "There's absolutely nothing in here to wear!" She shuffled through the clothes. Finally pulling out a brightly multi-colored spring dress, she set the curling iron down and but it on. Placing the final touches on her makeup, Kath grabbed her purse and started downstairs.

Just then Katie ran in with some strange woman behind her. "Um, Katie. Haven't we talked about bringing strangers home?" Just then the woman turned to look at her, and Kath saw the Talisman. "Oh. Right. Talisman." Kath hurried down the stairs, looking at her watch as she did so. "Well as delightful as it's been, I've got to get to work."

Katie grabbed Kath's arm. "What am I supposed to do with her?" Miranda had wandered into the living room.

Kathy shrugged. "I don't know. Just make sure nothing happens to her."

Katie glared. "I'm serious."

Kath sighed and set her jacket down that she had taken off the rack and walked into the living room. "My name's Kathryn, and I see you are the Talisman's holder, and we're going to do our very best to make sure that whatever demon is after you will not succeed. Now see, I have to pay some of the bills around here and must go to work, but I'm sure we'll get to know each other quite well when I return." Miranda looked at her in slight confusion and slight hesitant fear. "Alright then. I'm sorry to have thoroughly freaked you out now." Kath hesitated and then walked back to Katie in the hallway. "Look, I'm already going to be late, and I'll have to work over time if you make me stay any longer!" Katie sighed and then nodded. Kathy grabbed the jacket she had laid down and left for work.

-x-

Ring ring! Ian grabbed up the receiver of the phone on his desk. "Hello?"

"Ian, it's Beth. I am not sure if I can handle the club all by myself tonight. I mean, what if something goes wrong? What if I mess up?"

Ian sighed and rolled his eyes at the same time. "Beth, look. You will do fine. How many times have I left the club on urgent business, left you in charge, and everything is fine?"

"Um... a lot?"

"Yes. A lot. You will do a wonderful job. I am sure of it."

"Thanks Ian."

"Any time." Ian hung up the phone and was just about to continue working when his cell phone rang. "Hello?" he said, answering it.

"It's Katie... look, I need you to come home. I have Miranda here and I know what the demon looks like."

Ian frowned. "How?"

"Because he attacked us at Miranda's house."

"Oh. Well what about Kathy?"

"She really had to go to work. Ian, I need you. Miranda is ecstatic about us being real witches. She is in the kitchen right now checking out all our potion ingredients." Ian heard a faint crash and Katie yelled, "Hey! Stop that! Put that down! Ian, look, just come home _now_." Katie hung up.

Ian sighed and then turned off his phone. He quickly transferred his work onto a disk and then picked up his jacket. Ian walked out of his office and passed Derek. "I'll be working from home for the rest of the day. Bye!"

-x-

Kath ran into the elevator and pushed '3' countless times. "Come on, come on!" she mumbled to herself. The doors closed and she went up. When the doors opened again, they opened with Tony standing in front of them. Kath gasped in surprise.

"Why, good morning, Kathryn," he said, slowly.

"Heh. Morning, sir. Just a little family mishap, I'm so sorry. It won't happen again..." Kath paused. "...For a while... at least." Tony shook his head and got on the elevator. Kath sighed and went to her office, slinging her purse into an empty chair beside her desk.

"Good morning." Kath jumped at Tobias' voice behind her.

"It is not a good morning. Not, not, not." Kath sighed, placing a hand on her head.

"Why isn't it?" Tobias asked with a laugh.

"Well wouldn't you know, my favorite outfits are either at the cleaners or in the washing machine? And then—" She looked over his shoulder to check for anyone. "And then," Kath continued whispering, "Katie brought some lady over and we have to protect her. It has to do with a talisman. Something about that some demon is after it, but any ways, Katie brought her over. I'm just hoping that we don't have to do anymore redecorating when I get home, if you know what I mean."

Tobias nodded and Kath walked around to her chair and sat back. "Well good luck with that. Hey, just a little fact, but ever since you moved in with them, I've had a lot less trouble in that department." Kath frowned in confusion. "I haven't been attacked by you-know-what's in weeks. Thanks!" Kath shot him a look and took out some sketches while he went back to his office.

"Dang Power Of Three," Kath mumbled under her breath. She quickly shook her head. "What am I saying? Dang the Power Of Three, yeah, whatever. Without the other two of the three, you'd be dead, genius." Suddenly Tony appeared in front of her and she stopped mumbling. "Something I can do for you, sir?" Kath picked up a pencil quickly and traced over some of the already drawn lines.

"No, no. I was just seeing that you were prompt on getting on the job. If you come in late anymore, Kathryn, I may have to do something about your end-of-the-year bonus."

Kath nodded, reluctantly. "Yes, sir. I'll have it figured out as soon as possible." Tony nodded and walked out. "Yep, dang the Power Of Three. Sometimes," Kathy mumbled while continuing on traced lines.

-x-

Ian walked into the manor and hung up his coat. "Hello! Anyone home?" He went into the kitchen to see Katie sitting there sipping on coffee and Miranda stood in the center of the room, frozen. Ian gave his sister a look.

"What! It was like she was a totally different person. I think that since she now knows that all the witch stuff is real... she just became so happy. She has been driving me nuts."

Ian tried not to smile. "Well unfreeze her. We have work to do." Katie groaned and waved her hand, making Miranda unfreeze. The red head looked confused.

"How... how did you get over there? And where did you come from?" she asked, glancing at Ian.

"I froze you," Katie said. "Now come on. Let's move it. We have to find that demon before he attacks." They all headed upstairs and entered the attic. Katie opened the BOS while Ian followed Miranda to a couch and sat down.

"I am just so fascinated that _real_ powers are... well, real. I mean I believe in Wicca and all that... but it is not strong magic likes yours. Now, I have seen Katie's powers... and I know you have premonitions. I envy you for that... I would so love to see into the future."

Ian flashed a fake smile. "It is not as great as you might think."

Miranda frowned. "It isn't?"

"Nope. See, usually when I get a premonition, someone dies. Not that fun to see."

Miranda nodded slowly, her curly red locks catching the sunlight and making her hair a beautiful golden red color. "What other powers do you have?"

"Well I can blow things up. Which comes in very useful when you don't have a vanquish on hand. And I can levitate."

"And," Katie said from the center of the room, "he is very annoying. Which is like a whole 'nother power in itself."

Ian smiled. "That is true." After a few more minutes of talking with Miranda about the many demons they had fought, Katie let out a joyous cry.

"I found him! I found Cronan." Ian and Miranda went to stand next to Katie as she began to read. "Cronan is a mysterious demon, with many clever tricks up his sleeve. He is rarely seen because he is always in hiding, making evil plans to raise him in the ranks of the Underworld. His plans rarely fail, and many fear him. Cronan uses his heat beam eyes to blast enemies to the ground then kills them with an athame that he made himself. Since not many have encountered Cronan there is no known vanquish."

Katie sighed. "Typical," she said. "Well Ian, we will just have to see if your power is enough to take him out. If not... I can make a potion, or you can make a spell."

Ian nodded. "We should call Kathy though. We might need her."

-x-

Kath held up a finished sketch and sighed, laying it back down and erasing. Just then her desk phone rang. "Kathryn Hughes, how may I help you?"

"Kath, this is Katie, you need to come home. Cronan is on the loose, and he could be anywhere, so we may need your help."

Kath looked up doubtfully from her desk. Just then Tony walked in, holding some papers and patiently waited for her to get off the phone. She smiled sweetly at him. "Um yes, important client, I'll be there soon."

"What? Are you sure you took your medicine this morning?"

"Yes, dearest customer. I shall see you soon," she said, gruffly at the end, hanging up the phone.

"Oh, who was that?" Tony asked.

"Um, you know, just another model was found. I'm going to go take a look at her at lunch, or rather now."

"Alright, well I just got some faxes for you, so if you can sign here..." Kath signed and picked up her purse.

_#Liar, Liar, pants on fire.# _Tobias said, telepathically.

_#Yeah, well I've got demon problems, so my pants very well maybe be on fire by the next time I see you,# _Kath telepathed back, smiling and walking out.

-x-

"Okay, I'm here!" Kath called, hanging her jacket over Ian's.

"Attic!" Katie and Ian yelled.

Kath jogged up the stairs. "This better be good, otherwise our house payment will bring us further into debt."

Ian turned as Kathy walked into the room. "Oh it is good. Well... bad for us. But you know what I mean."

Katie then told Kath about the demon and how there was no vanquish. "So," Ian said, "Unless we find Cronan and kill him before he gets the Talisman... we could be in _big_ trouble. Much more than financial trouble."

Kath nodded and began to pace. "Right, well financial trouble seems to be weighing out in my mind, no offense-" Kath looked at the woman.

"Miranda," she said, filling in Kath's gap.

"Right, no offense, Miranda. So have we scryed for him yet, or are we just going to stand here and wait?"

Ian frowned. "We don't have anything of his to scry for him. But I will do a general scrying of demons in the area."

"Okay then. Get a move on." Kath sat down on the couch as Ian went to his room to go the map and crystal.

-x-

Cronan had tracked Miranda and the witch to a suburban area. The house was large... a manor. Cronan sensed great power coming from the house. Not only the Talisman... the witches. They were strong. This would make his job a lot harder.

-x-

Ian came back into the attic with the map and crystal. He set the map down on a table and started to spin the crystal over it. But the crystal spun erratically and then whipped out of Ian's hand and fell to the floor.

"Whoa... what is up with that?" Kathy asked.

"It must be the Talisman affecting it. I read in the Book before that you should not scry with magical artifacts in the vicinity. It messes with the crystal's power," Ian said.

"Hmm. Then Miranda and I will go downstairs and make some potions to help us fight Cronan. Come down when you find him," Katie told her two other siblings, then pulled Miranda down to the kitchen.

Ian picked up the crystal from the floor and then began to scry again.

-x-

Outside, Cronan was walking around the manor. He looked into a window and saw Miranda and the witch he had fought in there making potions.

-x-

"Miranda, put that down, will you?" Katie said impatiently. She was almost done with the current potion, and Miranda was about to ruin it.

"So what are the names of the powers you have?" she asked, walking around the center island, looking at all of the potion ingredients for what had to have been the third time.

Katie sighed. "I have Temporal Stasis, which is freezing objects and people. Orbing or teleporting. And telekinesis, moving things with my mind." The potion blew a puff of smoke into her face with a loud bang. "Well, that one's done."

"That is so cool..." Miranda breathed.

Once again Katie sighed while putting the potion into three vials. She liked the Miranda she met at the Wiccan store rather than the one she had to put up with now.

-x-

Upstairs in the attic the crystal had just landed. "Got something," he said to Kathy. He looked at the address. "Oh no... he's in the house!"

Down in the kitchen Cronan appeared right behind Miranda. He stabbed her and then ripped the Talisman off her, putting it around his neck. Miranda fell to the floor, blood spilling out of her. She was dead.

Katie spun around at the sound of the dull thud of metal entering flesh. She raised her hands to freeze the demon, not knowing of the Talisman's powers. The Talisman absorbed the power, making the defense useless.

Ian and Kathy ran in just as Katie tried to freeze Cronan. "Katie, no!" Ian yelled. Cronan saw Ian and Kathy and then disappeared. "Oh no... he has the Talisman. We're doomed."

"Well will someone tell me what the Talisman does? No one told me... yet," Katie finished weakly. She had knelt down and checked Miranda's pulse. There was none.

"It absorbs any power used against it. Since you tried to freeze him, it absorbed it, and now Cronan can freeze things as long as he has the Talisman," Kath explained.  
Ian walked over to Katie and kneeled down. "What are we going to do with her?" Ian asked, motioning to Miranda

"Great. This is just perfect. Now we have a demon who we can't use our powers against, and a dead body to take care of!" Katie said, angry that she had lost an innocent.

Ian rubbed his sister's back lightly. "Look, there was nothing you could do. We have lost innocents before."

"Yes, but that doesn't change anything," Katie replied bitterly. She got up and went over to the stove. "I'll make some more potions," she said in a monotone voice.

Kath shared a glance with Ian and then walked out of the room. She walked back into the attic and began to swirl the crystal around the map. The grim presence was just too much to handle downstairs.

Ian stared at Miranda's cold body. He reached out and touched her arm. Instantly the whole body crumpled and turned to dust. "Oh... oh my."

"What now?" Katie asked, turning back around to see the pile of ashes where Miranda was. "Ian! What the hell did you do!"

"I just touched her... and this happened. I think... I think we should just get rid of this stuff. There is no way we could explain this to the police... they will now just think she had gone missing."

"Fine. Whatever. Clean it up, will you?" she said, turning back around to make the potions rather than think about losing an innocent.

A little while later Ian walked into the attic. Kathy was sitting at the table, scrying. "Find anything?"

"No," Kathy said, sighing.

Ian nodded. "I think that since he is wearing the Talisman we won't be able to find him. But I bet that he will come back here to kill us." Ian sat down. "And we can't use our powers against him so we are pretty much doomed."

"Well thanks for the bad news. I'm sure Katie's potions will work." Kath laid the crystal down. "If not, I don't know what to do. I guess a good 'ole power of three spell." Kath shrugged.

"I'm not sure if that will be enough. He has that Talisman now, meaning he can copy _any_ power used against him. How many powers do you think he will take before we go up against him again? It could be hundreds. So we have to find him and kill him before he has the chance to gain to many powers. The only new power he should have at the moment is Katie's freezing power. And he can't freeze us." Ian got up and went over to the map and crystal. "Yet we can't scry for him... so what do we do?"

"Let's summon him," Katie said, coming into the room. In her hands she held a bowel that was full of Miranda's ashes. She set it down on the center of one of the tables and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Summon him, huh?" Ian said. "And what do we do when he gets here? We can't use our powers."

"You can still use your levitation power against him. And you have your martial arts abilities and have been teaching them to Kathy. Also, I have some good potions. We can beat this guy."

Kathy smiled. "Kate is right. We have been up against tougher demons than this one. And if we can get the Talisman from him... he's screwed."

"Right," Ian said, nodding. "Okay... let's get to work."

-x-

"Prepare to die, witch." Cronan moved in on the young witch he had backed into a corner. She had already tried to use her power to create light spheres against him, and now one hovered in his hand.

But just as he was about to throw it, Cronan screamed and disappeared in a whirling wind. He reappeared a moment later in the attic of the manor. Ian, Katie, and Kathy stood in a circle around him. "Welcome back," Ian said. "Not." He then levitated into the air and gave a sharp kick to Cronan's chest, knocking him back several feet. He crashed into a chair and groaned in pain. "Kate, now."

Katie threw a potion bottle, hitting Cronan in the stomach who was laying on the floor, splintered pieces of wood all around. The potion contents burned through his shirt and his skin, making Cronan cry out in pain. He stumbled to his feet as Kathy came towards him.

"Take this!" She brought up her arms and then threw a swift punch, connecting with the demon's jaw. She then brought in her other fist, hitting him in the gut. Cronan doubled over, grunting. "Okay, take him Ian!"

Kathy stepped aside and Ian was there. He spun around and let loose a kick, sending Cronan into the wall. "Had enough?"

Cronan smirked. "Not even." He shot out his hands, like Katie did when she used her temporal statis. The room froze... but the siblings didn't. "What? How come your not frozen?"

Katie smiled. "Little thing about that power. Can't freeze good witches with it. Sorry."

Cronan growled, but then sent red hot beams from his eyes. "Whoa!" Ian shot into the air, avoiding the attack, which instead scorched the opposite wall. Ian landed next to Katie and whispered, "Throw a smoke potion."

Katie did and Cronan was engulfed in a cloud of thick smoke. "Go Kath," Katie mouthed to her sister.

Kathy nodded and ran into the cloud. There was the sound of a struggle, but Kathy came out a moment later, Talisman in hand. She came over to stand next to her siblings and waited.

The smoke cleared and Cronan stood there, seething with anger. "You... you have the Talisman."

Katie snorted. "Damn right we do." She then swung her arm, sending Cronan flying sideways and into a table.

As he stood Kathy sent a beam from her hand, pushing the demon back. "Ian? Blow him up."

Ian nodded. "Will do."

"No!" Cronan yelled. But Ian shot out his hands and Cronan exploded into a thousand pieces, the fragments disappearing as they hit the floor.

Ian dropped his hands to his sides and looked at his sisters. "Well... we did it."

-x-

"The velocity of time... turns her voice into... sugar water." Cibbo Matto began to play Sugar Water at King's Corner. Near the stage, Ian and his sisters sat in a booth, sipping their drinks and tapping their feet to the music.

"I'm on a concrete way. The wind is blowing to the north-northwest. It smells like sands of... the southern island. When a black cat crosses my path... A woman in the moon is singing to the earth. A woman in the moon is singing to the earth. La la la, la la la la la la. La la la, la la la la la la. La la la, la la la la la la. La la la, la la la la la la."

As the band continued to play, Ian turned to his sisters and smiled. "I just love to come here after a stressful day of fighting demons. We get to relax and be... normal."

Katie nodded. "Yes, we do deserve some relaxing time after what happened. But remember, we lost an innocent. I don't think I can fully relax with that on my mind."

"I know how you feel, Kate," Kathy said. "But we can't save everyone. All we can do is fight the best we can. And hope that we won't lose anyone else any time soon."

"I know," Katie said quietly. "But I can't just sit here right now and just try to relax." She set her drink down and got up.

"Where are you going?" Ian asked.

"I have to take care of something." And with that she walked away.

-x-

Katie stood out in the backyard behind the manor, the moon shining brightly overhead. In her hands she held the bowel of Miranda's ashes. She had just buried the Talisman and put several protective spells around it.

"Miranda... may your spirit live on forever. May your magic continue to flow. And may we never forget you. Blessed be." Katie then threw the ashes up into the air, letting the wind carry them away. Katie looked up at the moon, smiled, and then turned to go back inside.


	38. Shifty Behavior

A/N: -sneaks in with a huge metal shield- I don't blame you guys if you all hate me right now. Life has been odd nowadays, so yeah... Anyway, this is a great episode. AK wrote it. There are some funny quotes in here. Such as:  
_"What is wrong with you?"  
"Several things, but what are you talking about?"  
_Ah yes, good memories.

**unique-deflection** - We have an alternate reality episode already written, but it's in S4. I really love how it turned out, since it shows the other side of a character. In fact, I'm also toying with the "prelude" to it, since it doesn't start when that reality branches off from the real reality. ...Sorry if that isn't clear, time travel is confusing.

**hazza123** - Nah, it's in the same reality as the Charmed Ones. We're too unoriginal to do the different-reality-than-the-Charmed-Ones thing.

**Chyp** - Thanks

**Prince Halliwell** - Well... someone has to carry on the King line, huh?

Sorry if I missed someone... Everyone, thanks for your reviews. If you guys have any plot ideas (that aren't taken by Charmed already), I'd love to hear them. If not, no worries. Technically, it's our job... but audience members deserve to help out if they feel like it. (It's 1 AM, my wording sucks).

* * *

Kath and Tobias sat at a table along with their co-workers at a weekly meeting. "So what's the big announcement?" Kath whispered to one of her friends, Sarah, as the rest of the group talked quietly to each as well.

"Rumor has it that he's announcing a new vice president for the women's department." Sarah whispered back. Kath's eyes widened.

"Really? Who told you that?" Kath asked, thoroughly curious.

"Well since Melissa got bumped for her little party the other night," Sarah said, her eyes lighting up at the remembrance, "he said he wanted someone more responsible, and had higher morals."

"Wow… poor Melissa. But she's been VP for several years. Certainly Big-T wouldn't cut her for a little thing like that…" Kath whispered. Suddenly Tony could be seen walking toward the conference room.

"Yeah, but when your VP sleeps with your son on your bed and is found the next morning…" Sarah said, sitting up and straightening some papers as Tony sat at the head of the table.

"Noooo…" Kath glanced over at Melissa who was still sitting at Tony's right. Tony gave an angry glance at Melissa, and she cowered slightly. Kath looked back over at Sarah. Sarah simply nodded.

"Well I'd like to start out today's meetings with some announcements." Tony opened his leather folder and pulled out a sheet. "We've gotten a few new employees downstairs, some new interns for all of your disposal. Just don't work them too hard." A ripple of forced laughter flowed through everyone. "Also, our fashion show last week went great, and we've received offers from some more magazines to show off some of our designs. I'll be getting a memo out about that later on for those who's works are needed."

Kath's legal pad sat blank in front of her, but out of boredom she began sketching a simple dress. She glanced around her to see most of her colleagues doing the same; trying not to fall asleep. "Oh, and on a side note here, I'd like to thank Penny for donating a new coffee machine to the break room. I'm sure we'll get a lot out of it since all of your drawings are due tomorrow at 2 sharp. Any sketches turned in at 2:01 will not be excepted."

Kath suppressed at yawn that was growing quickly in her throat. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tobias trying to stay conscious. _#Toooobiaasss…#_ Tobias jolted up. Everyone looked at him and Tony stopped talking. Tobias looked at Kath and she shook her head. _#Yeah, you owe me one.#_ Kath smiled as she spoke telepathically.

His face grimaced. "I apologize, sir. Just a late night last night I guess," Tobias said trying to cover up what had just happened. They all concealed our laughter as best they could, but a few snickers were let out.

"Just don't let it happen again, Mr. Mills," Tony said, gruffly. Tobias bit his lip and nodded quickly. "Well, continuing our meeting…" he started again. There was boredom in the air, and it was getting to be annoying. "There's going to be a model search show in a few weeks, and our photographers are going to be shooting nonstop. We have a note from them, and I'll let you have the gist of it. If you're searching for something more specific, you can type out some features you're looking for and have them to Thomas at 1 on Friday."

_Friday,_ Kath thought. _It's so far away…_

Tony seemed to go on for centuries about finances, various comments that were e-mailed to him, and potential clients. "And to sum things up..." The boredom that was in the air seemed to fly out the windows onto the crowded streets. "...The Summer Banquet is in a few nights. I'd like you all to attend wearing something you preferably designed. It seems so cliché, but it would be nice for you to bring a dinner date." Kath's gaze flashed over and met Tobias's. "Well if that's all…" Tony said glancing around at all the workers while straightening and placing the papers he had taken out back into the folder. No one said anything. "Alright then, I'll see you around the workplace." Instantly there was conversation between everyone. As Tony passed Kath on his way out of the conference room, he grabbed her arm. "I need to see you in my office. Now," he said sternly.

"Yes, sir." Kath had been working overtime, but she guessed it just didn't pay off. Kath gathered her papers and Tobias walked over to her from around the table.

"So, you want to get something for lunch?" he asked.

Kathy sighed and picked up her folder. "I'm not sure. Tony wants to talk," she said, discouragement in her voice.

"Uh oh?" Tobias said, jokingly.

"I'm serious." Kath looked around, and then whispered. "I thought I caught up on my time, but I must have forgotten to clock in or something."

"You think you're going to be fired?" Tobias asked, surprised.

"Well, yeah. You know I leave all the time."

"But you're saving the world every time you go."

Kathy laughed. "Well Superwoman is going to have to find some other mag to snag, if you get what I mean."

"Kathryn," Tony said, leaning into the emptied room. Kath sighed, picking up her coffee and followed Tony to his office. She hadn't been in there really before, and it still amazed her how spacious and well coordinated it was. "I bet you're wondering why I called you in here."

"Yes, sir," she said, as she thought, _Well, duh._

"Well, there isn't a smooth way to say this, so I'm just going to say it." Kath sighed and nodded, waiting for his words, but pleading he wouldn't say them. She sipped the coffee nervously. The Kings just couldn't afford anything like this right now. "You are going to be my new VP." Kath spewed the coffee all over Tony's face.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, sir," she said, pulling a Kleenex out and patting his face. "Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!"

"Stop saying sorry and sit down," Tony said laughing, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping the rest of the coffee off. It had been a big sip. "So what do you think?"

"I… I… I don't know what to say. Truth be told, I thought I was coming in here to be laid off."

"What?"

"You know. The pink slip, being let go, we're going in different directions…"

"Hell no. Would you like to be let go?" Tony seemed totally astonished.

"No, no, no!" Kath said, trying not to scream.

"So you'll take the position?"

"Of course," Kath said, finally taking a deep breath of realization.

"Good, I'm glad," he said. Kath stood up and shook hands with Tony.

"This is a huge honor sir."

"The pleasure is all mine."

Kath nodded and walked out. Tobias was standing outside the heavy wood door. "Hey!" Kath jumped; she hadn't seen him. "So? Snag another mag time?" he asked, sympathetically.

"I think not," Kath said, a grin painting her face.

---

Kathy got in her red Nissan Altima and grabbed her cellphone after starting the engine.

"Hello?"

"Hey Kate," Kathy said, pulling out of the parking lot.

"Hey, what's up?" Katie said over the phone.

"I have good news," Kath said, stopping at a light.

"Well, what is it?" Katie asked impatiently.

"I got a promotion. Vice President. I'm going to be the head of all the female designs!" she said enthusiastically.

"Uh, great?" Katie asked.

"Uh, yeah it's great." There was the sound of breaking glass on Katie's end of the phone. "What was that?" Kath asked.

"Um… nothing?" Katie said sheepishly.

"Um… try again," Kath said.

"I'm just getting a head start on some potion making," Katie said.

"Oh." There was a short silence. "Is there anything on radar?" Kath asked.

"No, but Ian's getting paranoid," Katie said.

"Paranoid? Why would he be paranoid?"

"I don't know; it's Ian. Chances are we'll never know. He just told me to whip some potions up, that he thinks something's up."

"So he had a premonition?"

"I don't think so. If he has, he hasn't told me anything about it." Kath frowned as she stopped again at another light. Suddenly the passenger side door opened and someone hopped in. Kath screamed and dropped her phone.

"Chill, chill!" It was Ian. He set some sacks in the back seat.

"Katie, I'll call you back… yes, yes I'm fine." Kath threw her phone in her purse. "I'm going to kill you!" she yelled, trying to get over and choke him.

"The light's green, just go!"

Kathy settled down. The car behind her honked. "Yeah, you have a nice day too," she mumbled, pressing on the gas. "So why are you in this part of town? I thought you'd be at work right now."

"Well I took today off. I was just picking up some things at the Wicca store."

"But isn't the Wicca store over by your work?"

"Yeah," Ian said, nonchalantly.

"Ian, you work ten miles away from here. The store is two miles from there. You expect me to believe you walked twelve miles just to scare the crap out of me by conveniently walking by when I was at a stop light and getting into my car?"

"Yep," Ian said. Kath looked at him oddly. "Keep your eyes on the road," Ian said, looking forward.

"Well… I'm going to drop you off at home because I have to get some lunch with Tobias and then go back to work."

"Okay," Ian said happily. Kath looked at him oddly again.

"Katie's right, you have been acting weird," Kath mumbled to herself.

---

"You can't touch the Book, you know," Ian said, shaking his head. He was in a small one roomed apartment. The apartment building had been evicted and it was covered in filth. Rats crawled on the stained carpeted floors and the wallpaper curled on the walls from moisture.

"We won't have to. I've got a spell that will make your sisters bring it to me," said a normal looking gentleman as he lit up a cigarette and leaned back in his wooden chair against the wall. "I like your sisters, they are very beautiful." Ian tried to get out of his chair and punch the guy, but his arms and legs tied him. Suddenly the man morphed into Kathy. "I'm intelligent, strong willed, yet very weak in the magical world. I'll do whatever you say, Josh!" the ditto of Kathy said. He morphed back to himself, laughing evilly. "How does that sound, Ian?"

"Totally sick and disgusting," Ian muttered.

"Or, or what about the other one?" Josh morphed into Katie. "I'm kick-butt tough, and I'll put up a fight, but when your ingenious spell takes me over, Josh, I'll give you the Book of Shadows and forever be at your side!" Josh laughed evilly again and morphed back into himself, picking up the lit cigarette he had set down on the ashtray. Taking a puff, he smiled as Ian glared at him.

"I hope you know what you're both in for. They won't just be your two's slaves forever. I'll counteract the spell with one of my own if it gets too far."

"Oh, but Ian!" Josh said, standing up and walking around Ian. "I won't just let you free after we have the Book!" Ian raised a brow. "I'll have Kath blast you, or Katie orb you to sink into the bottom of the ocean." Ian and his chair levitated a few inches off the floor. "Come on, Ian. You didn't really think that your coffee this morning had nothing added, did you?" Josh morphed into Beth from Ian's club. "Here's your coffee, sir. One cream, one sugar, as usual." Josh morphed back to himself. "Please, you witches are all the same. Gullible and stupid," Josh said, sitting back down in his chair. Just then the door opened and Kathy walked in.

"Kathy, thank God you're here!" Ian burst out. Suddenly Kath morphed into another man. Ian gasped. Josh roared with laughter.

"I prove my point," Josh said.

"Hey. I got some potion ingredients," the other man said, going over to a small cauldron on the other side of the room.

"Good, good. Now all we do is get a double date scheduled." Ian snickered. "Something funny?" Josh asked, looking over at Ian and glaring.

"My sisters are both in committed relationships. You two could never get dates with them."

"You hear him, Ryan? He thinks we can't get dates," Josh said, walking up and getting inches from Ian's face. He morphed into Tobias right then and took a step away from Ian. "Not to shabby, wouldn't you say?" he said in Tobias's deeper voice.

Ryan stood up from his crouching position over the cauldron and morphed into Nate. "We've been watching your sisters for a while," Ryan said in Nate's voice. Ian sat shocked and in dismay.

---

"So then he just got in my car and acted as though he did it everyday," Kathy said finishing her story with a bite from her Subway sandwich.

Tobias, who was sitting across from her, took a sip from his straw. "That's why you're late. You had to drop your brother at home," Tobias said while leaning back in the booth.

"Well I was driving home when he said to stop at this abandoned apartment building. So I dropped him off there, just anything to get him out of my car. I assume that he'll go home by taxi after he does whatever he's doing there, which is probably just posting signs about the club or something."

Tobias nodded. "So you're really VP? That's amazing! But still, you do leave a lot. Does Tony… know?" Tobias said, looking around the restaurant.

"Heck no," Kathy said, taking a sip from her straw. "I guess that he just realized how utterly reliable I am, and that my work is praised constantly. I must say, it's the best decision that man's made in a while," she bragged. Suddenly Katie walked into the restaurant and walked over to the counter.

"Isn't that your sister?" Tobias asked from his seat in the booth that looked at the counter.

Kath turned around. "Hey Katie!" Kath said with a smile. Katie turned. "Slim chance I'd see you here today." Katie took her sandwich and sat down next to Kath.

"I know, how weird! I was just thinking about calling you," Katie said, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"Calling me? Is something up now?" Kath asked, taking a bite too.

"Well Nate and I wanted to have a double date with you and Tobias tonight. I know it's sudden, but Nate has some business for the rest of the week that will have him booked in the evening."

Kath looked at Tobias. "Is that okay with you?" she asked.

"Um, I'm not sure. Thomas is training me tonight. I'm going to start shooting pictures at some fashion shows, so he's been keeping me late. But I'm sure he'll let me go for dinner."

Kath frowned. "Well if you need to stay…" Kath looked at Katie. "Do you think maybe we could do it next week? We could cook something up at the manor for them."

Katie shifted uneasily. "We'll see what we can do," she said. "But I'm sure things will clear up for you, Tobias," Katie said with a smile.

Tobias looked at her confused. Kath exchanged glances with him._ #I thought Ian was the one with premonitions,# _Tobias said telepathically.

_#He is,#_ Kath telepathed while looking at Katie. "Well we better be getting back to work," Kath said to her sister.

"Tobias!" Katie blurted out as the couple stood to throw away their trash. They turned around. "I… need to have a word with you."

Tobias frowned. "Uh… okay," he said.

"Privately."

Kathy raised a brow this time. "Well then. I guess I'll go now," Kath said, throwing away her trash. "I'll see you back at the office, then?" Kath asked, kissing Tobias.

"You know it," he said.

Kath walked out and turned around as soon as she left. There was an odd presence around Katie, but it was her sister. "Allergies must be acting up," she mumbled, looking at the tinted restaurant windows. She got in her car and pulled out.

---

"So what's up?" Tobias asked, sitting back down after throwing away his garbage and refilling his drink.

Katie took out her phone and dialed a number. "Hey, Ryan… Yeah, I got him… Okay… bye," Katie said, flipping her phone closed.

"Ryan? I thought the guy you were seeing was named Nate or something like that."

"Yeah, yeah, hush up, bud," Katie said gruffly as she looked out the window impatiently. Suddenly Ryan walked in.

"What is going on?" Tobias asked.

"Freeze the place, Ryan," Katie said, standing up. Ryan waved his arm and the everything except himself, Katie, and Tobias slowed down and froze. Tobias looked around and stood up. Just then, Katie morphed into Josh. "Glad you could join us, Tobias."

---

Katie was under a desk fixing computers when her phone rang. She sat up to reach for it when she bumped her head. "Ow," Katie said, rubbing her head momentarily. Her phone rang again. "Hello?" she said, finally reaching it.

"What is wrong with you?" came Kath's voice.

"Several things, but what are you talking about?" Katie asked, leaning back under the desk as she began working on the computer.

"You at lunch. What was up saying those weird things? It was like… you weren't being you or something," Kath said. "And where is Tobias, he's still not at work yet and lunch is over. Why did you want to talk to him privately?"

Katie frowned and sat up again, whacking her head on the desk again. "Ow!" Katie whined, rubbing her head again.

"That better be a business call, King," said Katie's client intolerantly. "I am paying you by the hour here."

"Yeah, yeah," Katie said. "Look Kath, I really got to get back to work. I have no idea what you are talking about, but we'll deal with it in a few hours," Katie said on the phone.

"Ugh, fine. But you have much to explain," Kathy said. Katie hung up her phone.

"That's more like it," the client grumbled, walking away. Katie shook her head and ducked back under the desk.

---

Ian woke up when the door slammed. He had a horrible crick in his neck. "Tobias?" Ian exclaimed as he saw that Josh and Ryan were dragging him in. They threw Tobias's limp body into a chair and tied him up.

"Aw, poor Ian," Josh said, standing up after tying Tobias's arms together. "You're just witnessing the same thing we did to you. He was just tougher to make drink his potion."

Ryan stood up over Tobias and punched him in the eye hard.

"Wake up, witch boy," Ryan said, laughing.

Josh laughed also, and walked over to Tobias, punching his jaw. "You heard the man. Wake up," Josh said.

Ian stared in bewilderment. He thought he had felt a sore pain in his side as though someone had kicked him, but he thought he was just imagining things. Tobias woke up with a moan. "Leave him alone," Ian said. "Your fight is with our family, not him."

"Oh but Ian, we've got to have some perks," Josh said.

"Ian, what's going on?" Tobias asked, looking around. His eye was already blackened with a bruise, as was his cheek.

"They're after the Book of Shadows," Ian said, glaring at Josh and Ryan as they crouched over the cauldron.

"But… he was Katie, and then he was that," Tobias said, motioning with his head.

"They're shape shifters. I read about them once. They're extremely weak, and are always after books of spells," Ian said, turning his attention back to Tobias.

_#Listen to me, Ian. Just think these things. They're not telepaths. If you have a plan, just think about it. I'm going to be reading your thoughts, if that's okay,#_ Tobias said, with his mind.

Ian nodded. _They're trying to kidnap and cast a spell on Katie and Kathy. They can't lay a hand on the Book, it has a spell on it so that evil can't touch it. The spell that these two are going to use will wipe Katie and Kath's memories and turn them into mindless slaves for them, if I understand correctly,_ Ian thought, feeling odd and hoping that Tobias got the message. By the way Tobias's face flushed in anger, Ian figured he did. _Our powers aren't gone, they've been suppressed by a very strong potion they created. I can't blow up anything, so I haven't thought of anything that would be able to get myself out of here._ Tobias nodded, reassuring Ian that his message had been heard.

"Well if you'll excuse us!" Josh said, interrupting the telepathic conversation. "We're off," Josh said, altering into Tobias. "I'm off to 'work', and Ryan's off to get Nate. He has no magical powers, so Ryan should be back within a short amount of time."

"Easy prey," Ryan said with a sinister smile.

---

"There you are!" Kathy said as she saw Tobias walk in through her window.

"Here I am!" Tobias said, going into his office and hanging his coat. He sat down in his desk chair and swiveled around.

Kath walked in and placed her hands on her hips. "So what did Katie say?" she asked, irritated.

"Nothing for you to know about," Tobias said with a grin. He propped his feet up on the desk and pulled Kath into his lap.

"What are you doing? We're in the workplace!" Kath cried, trying to get out of his grip. Tobias kissed her deeply and passionately. "Well then," Kathy said, turning red with embarrassment. "The boss _is_ out to lunch," she said, leaning over and kissing him again. They kissed for a long while, but just then someone at Tobias's door cleared his throat. Immediately Kath sat up to see Tony. "I'm so sorry, sir. I… we were… I mean…" Kathy blushed red with embarrassment and jumped out of Tobias's lap.

"I see, but you are my new VP," Tony said to Kath. "And you are one of my top male designers," he said to Tobias.

"I'm extremely embarrassed, sir. I promise it will _never_ happen again."

"You keep your pleasures at your houses, but in my offices again, and those ranks of yours will be diminished." Tony walked out.

"Don't listen to him," Tobias said, grabbing Kath's arm as she tried to leave. "We'll still have jobs, and we can still do this." He started kissing her hand.

Kathy quickly removed her hand. "I don't know what is wrong with you, but this will not be happening in the office ever again," she said, marching back to her office and slamming the door.

Tobias walked out of his office and into the men's restroom. He took out his phone and suddenly he shimmered into Josh.

"Yeah, hey Ryan… this job is going to better than we planned… God, that woman can kiss… of course, I'm sure Katie can too… Do you have Nate?… Good… everything is going perfectly according to plan." He chuckled. "If not better."

---

Katie walked into the manor, hanging up her coat and walking upstairs to her room where she fell back onto her bed and reached over to her stereo. Loud Linkin Park songs played as she opened her mail. She jumped, seeing Nate in the doorway. Reaching over to the stereo, Katie turned the music down. "Hey, I didn't see you there," she said, smiling.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. The door was unlocked, and I figured you wouldn't mind," Nate said, smiling. Katie stood up and walked over to Nate, wrapping her arms around his neck and Nate wrapping his around her waist. "I missed you today," Nate said, as he leaned in and they kissed.

A few minutes later, the front door downstairs slammed. Katie pulled away. "I should really lock that thing," Katie said, as they walked down the short hallway and down the stairs.

"Hello?" Kathy called, anger hinted in her voice still.

"Hey, what's with the slamming?" Katie asked. Kathy groaned and walked to the kitchen. Katie shrugged, and Nate and her followed. "Is something seriously wrong?" Katie asked, as she sat down across from Kathy at the table.

"Just the fact that everyone is acting totally weird. I thought it was just Ian this morning, but then it was you at lunch, and then Tobias at the office. I hope he realizes what he did could have seriously jeopardized my new promotion."

Nate shifted uneasily. "Uh, I'm going to the bathroom," he said, leaving the room. Both girls stared after him weirdly.

"So what were you asking me on the cell phone earlier? I'm sorry, but my customer was down my throat."

Kathy frowned. "Customer? Was he at Subway too or something?" she asked, confused.

"Subway? I didn't even get a lunch break today. I ate a few of the mints off the guy's desk, but it was no Subway sandwich."

Kathy looked hard at Katie. "Are you sure you're not suffering from amnesia?" Kath asked.

"What!" Katie said.

Just then Nate walked in. "Hey, look who I found," Nate said, Tobias walking in behind him.

Kathy grimaced. "The trash goes outside, Nate. Not inside," she said with annoyance.

"Look, I just came by to apologize about earlier. It was out of line for me, and I know that I could have just screwed you up with Tom," Tobias said.

"Tom? Who's Tom?" Kathy asked.

"Uh, our boss," Tobias said.

"Tony," Kathy said, standing up from the table and walking up to him. She walked around him and thoroughly scanned him. "Our boss is Tony. Tony Chavez. Who is Tom?"

Tobias began to sweat, but he walked over to the cabinet and took down four glasses. "Tony, I meant Tony. What is with you today?" he asked, filling the four glasses with water. He turned his back to the girls and took two small vials from his Docker khakis and poured them into two of the cups. The liquid turned an angry red, but faded until it was clear again. "Here, chill off with this," he grumbled, turning around and handing one to Kathy and then one to Katie. Then he handed one of the portionless cups to Nate and took one for himself.

"That's fine, I'm not thirsty." Kathy set her glass on the table. "I want you to go home and just… leave me alone for tonight. I think we need to take a small break." Kathy left the room.

Katie sighed and took a swig of water. "Ugh, something is honestly wrong with the tap water," she said after her drink was gone. "Man, I guess I was just really thirsty." Katie yawned and stood up. "I think I'm going to go… lay… down…" She fell into Nate's arms.

"'Bout time," Nate said, picking her up and throwing her over one shoulder.

"Take her out to the car," Tobias said. The two men walked down the hall. Tobias morphed into Katie and stopped at the stairway as Nate walked outside with Katie.

"Hey Kath!" Katie yelled up the stairs.

"Yeah!" Kath called down the stairs from her room.

"I'm going to have a quick drink with Nate before he has to work. Tobias left, so you'll have the house to yourself for a while."

"Okay, whatever!" Kath called.

Katie smiled evilly and walked outside. The real Katie lay in the back seat, and Ryan sat in the passenger's side of Ian's black Honda Civic. Josh morphed back into himself and got in the car, speeding off down the road.

---

Kath lay outstretched on her bed reading Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, a large book on human evolution from the simple times to now. She threw the book against her wall with anger. _Ugh, that Tobias. He goes through these weird spouts, no worries._ Kath stood up and walked up to the attic where on the pedestal sat the Book of Shadows. She walked over to it.

"Maybe there's something about killing stupid men in here," she mumbled to herself. As she lifted her hand to open it, the Book swished open and landed on the Shape Shifter's page. "Odd…" Kath trailed off, deep in thought. "Shape shifters: These creatures have the ability to morph into other human beings and animals. They are quite elusive, yet not very powerful. They can usually be found trying to steal a Witch Coven's spell books. They crave the magical spells and use the power to make themselves stronger.

"—Spell to vanquish a Shape shifter…" Kath raised her brow and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, writing down the spell. "This had better be the reason why everyone is acting so weird," Kath mumbled, walking down to Ian's room and grabbing the crystal and map. She twirled it around. "Shape shifter, come out, come out wherever you are…" Kath said. The crystal pulled tightly on the apartment complex that had been evicted. "Isn't that where I dropped Ian off this morning?" Kath ran downstairs and grabbed her coat, stuffing the piece of paper with the spell on it in her pocket.

---

"So all we have is one last witch. She can have the spell told to her over 'forgive-me-please-I-was-such-a-fool' dinner," Josh said. Katie struggled in her seat. "Oh give it up."

Katie glared at him. "I want you to explain everything to me. Right now," Katie demanded.

"What is there to explain?" Josh asked.

"Well, for one, why the hell is my boyfriend frozen in the corner?" Katie pointed with her head, being that she was tied up.

"Well we are a little on the magical side. Couldn't have risked our and your exposure, now could we?"

Katie grunted in agreement and nodded. "Okay… if he has been here… who was that at the manor?" Katie asked. Ryan stood up and walked over to her, shifting into Nate as he walked over and sat in her lap. Katie gasped in surprise. Nate leaned over, shoving his tongue down her throat in a forced kiss. Katie struggled against him, but he was too strong.

"We all have to have our fun, now don't we?" Nate asked, shifting back into Ryan. He kissed Katie's cheek, but she pulled away from him.

"Well enough fun, it's time for payment," Josh said, morphing into Tobias. "You stay here and watch our little friends, and I'll go get our last one, along with the most powerful book of spells."

Just then the door blew down with a pair of twin beams. "Alright, pencils down," Kath said, stepping over the door as she walked in. "Uh.. what's going on?" she asked, surveying the scene.

"Kathy, that better be you and not another accursed shape shifter," Ian said.

"So they were shape shifters. I'm so glad we're not… as weird as we acted today," Kath said sighing.

"Kath, babe, they're shape shifters," the fake Tobias said. Kath looked at the tied up Tobias, bruised and beaten, and then at the one standing up.

"I'm a witch too," Ryan said, stepping in front of the tied up Tobias. "These shape shifters have been out too long, and have been causing mischief."

"What are you talking about?" Katie yelled.

"Quiet you." The fake Tobias kicked over Katie's chair. She screamed as the chair fell backwards and knocked the air out of her.

"Okay, I think the story is very wrong here," Kath said.

_#Kath, it's me. They're the shape shifters, you just have to untie us.#_ Kath looked at the real Tobias. She turned slowly and looked at the two standing men.

"Well… uh… this better be right!" Kath shot two beams from her hands at the shape shifters. The fake Tobias shifted back into Josh. "UGH! To think I swapped saliva with you!" Kath said angrily, shooting at them again.

"You did what!" Tobias yelled from his chair.

"A little less talk a little more action. Get us out of here, Kathy!" Ian said. Kathy quickly untied his ropes. "I sure hope that potion has worn off." He levitated and kicked Josh in the head. "That's for spiking my coffee."

Kathy ran over and untied Katie. "Spell!" Kath said. Ian ran over to the two girls.

"Evil one that hides behind lies, we uncover your disguise. No more shall you transform your face, the Power Of Three vanquishes you from this place," the three said in unison. The two shape shifters, who were already passed out from their beating, evaporated in a puff of smoke.

Kath ran over to Tobias. "Oh God, Tobias! I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!" she said untying him. "Hold still." Kath laid her hands over his face, and a golden light appeared. She lifted her hands and his handsome face was once again restored. Kath sat in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, and fervently kissed him.

"Hello! Public!" Ian cried. Katie shook her head and walked over to the frozen Nate.

"What are we supposed to do with him?" Katie asked.

Ian rolled his eyes at Kathy and Tobias and walked over to Katie. "Uh… I think I have a plan. Ow," Ian said, grabbing his ribs.

"Doctor Kissy Face, get over here," Katie said.

---

Katie, Ian, Kath, and a frozen Nate orbed into the manor. Frozen Nate was laid onto the couch. "Okay, Ian, get some ice," Katie said, walking around and kneeling by Nate. Ian left the room towards the kitchen.

"So tell me one thing. Did you eat lunch with me today?" Kath asked, for the millionth time.

"NO!" Katie said. "For the millionth time, we were tricked by demons, sheesh!" Ian walked in with ice and placed it on Nate's head.

"Isn't it kind of ironic that we're putting ice on a frozen guy's head?" Kath asked, placing a blanket on him.

"Okay, Katie. Unfreeze him," Ian said, ignoring Kathy.

"This better work," Katie mumbled, flicking her hands. Nate jumped up. "Hey there, Nate!"

"What's going on? Where are those guys that were just at my apartment?" Nate asked quickly.

"It's okay, you just tripped over the coffee table and hit your head. You've been out for a while, it's almost 9 o'clock."

Nate rubbed his head. "Yeah, it feels as though a ton of bricks hit me. Wow. I don't remember anything but the two guys."

"You must have been hallucinating or dreaming. It happens to most people that trip over our coffee table," Kath said. Ian and Katie shot her a look. "What?" Kath said, picking up her cat that was rubbing against her leg. She petted him softly. "I tripped over it the other day and could have sworn that I was being chased by fire breathing demons, but you know how it is. Crazy, all in your head," she said.

"Okay then. Well we were just about to go to King's Corner. You think you can handle it?" Katie asked, flashing a comforting smile.

"I think so. I feel fine now that I saw your smile," Nate said. Ian and Kath shared a gagging look. Katie blushed.

---

Ian sat with his sisters and their lovers at the crowded King's Corner, but inside he felt alone. He hadn't seen Sam in a while, and missed her. Countless phone calls, but no answer. He sighed as he set down his drink.

"Oh cheer up, Ian," Katie said.

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll call back soon," Kathy added.

"Well, I'm going to head home. I'll see you all later." Ian grabbed his coat and began walking toward the door.

"Excuse me," came a voice from behind Ian's shoulder. "Excuse me!" it said again, this time tapping his shoulder with a finger. Ian turned to see Sam. "I thought that was you, Ian! I'm sorry, I've been out of town lately. I just got in this morning, and got all your messages."

Ian wrapped his arms around Sam. "Oh I've missed you so much, Sam! You had me worried!" Ian dragged her onto the dance floor and began dancing to the local band's rock music.

"Aw, how cute!" Kath said, sighing.

"Shall we?" Nate asked Katie. Katie nodded, and Nate got up first out of the half circle both.

Katie leaned over to Kath. "I swear that you're a shape shifter," she whispered before getting up and going on the dance floor.

Kathy gasped. "You don't think that I'm a shape shifter, do you?" Kath asked Tobias.

"No, no, of course not," he said, putting and arm around her.

"You think I am!" Kath said.

Tobias laughed. "If I thought you were a shape shifter, would I do this?" He gave her a peck on the lips.

"Maybe," Kathy said, sipping her drink. "I made out with a shape shifter that looked like you."

"Well you're gullible like that," Tobias said.

Kathy punched him in the side lightly. "Hey I saved your butt today. You owe me one. Isn't that some kind of Indian custom, that if you save an Indian that he's automatically your slave for life?" Kathy asked.

"Wrong tribe," Tobias said, grabbing her hand and leading her to the dance floor.


	39. Day of Havoc

A/N: You guys will probably think I'm insane for posting this. Again. But there's a valid reason! I redid the Kate/Nate scene, so it's more of the style I write _now _(which is basically more... emotional, for lack of better word). Keep in mind this whole thing was written a year ago, and our writing style has changed since then.

Well, individually, at least. When we're together, we sort of compromise.

Anyway, yeah. Enjoy. Again.

* * *

**Episode 2.14: Day of Havoc**

"Okay, I'm here! Don't worry!" Ian yelled as he opened the door to King's Corner. Beth came running up to Ian. She looked like she was about to faint.

"I have been chatting with Three Doors Down for an hour! They are so wonderful! You... you have to leave."

Ian stared at her. "I can't leave just because you want to hang with the band. I have work to do." Ian made his way past Beth and walked up to the stage. Three Doors Down were there, talking and laughing. They had already set up everything it seemed. "Hey," Ian said, getting their attention. "I'm Ian King, the owner of this club. Thanks for coming. Um, it looks like—"

_Ring ring!_ "Ugh." Ian took out his cell phone and looked at who the caller was. "Crap... that's my other job. Look, um, I gotta go. But you can finish... whatever and just remember to be here at seven to get ready. The doors open at eight. See ya!" Ian then started to walk to the door. "Beth, the band is all yours." Beth yelled with glee and Ian just rolled his eyes and left for his car. Once he got in, he started the engine, pulled out of the parking lot and zoomed down the street.

Halfway to the Central, his cell phone rang again. "Hello?" he said, answering it.

"Ian? It's Katie. Come home... Now. It's an emergency." Then there was a _click _as she hung up.

"Ugh," Ian muttered, turning the car around. "Just one thing after another..."

-x-

"Yes, yes, I understand… right, I'll have it ready… of course not… alright then… bye-bye," Kathy hung up the phone and sighed, placing her elbows on her desk and her hand against her forehead.

"Hey Kath, can I get your opinion on something?" asked a woman who walked in.

"Yes of course," Kathy lied.

"Do you think this more as an 'I'm-desperate-please-date-me' sleazy shirt, or just a really nice sharp cut down the middle to liven things up a bit?" the woman asked. The phone rang again. Kathy sighed and held up a finger as she answered the phone.

"Kathryn Hughes's office," she answered. "Yes, I faxed those over an hour ago… uh huh… oh well… right, I understand…" Kathy put a hand over the mouthpiece. "Excuse me, Jennifer, but this is going to take awhile. You may want to enhance the cut a little though." Jennifer frowned in hurt, and snapped her drawing away. "Jenn, look I'm—!" Kathy heard the voice on the phone yelling. "Sorry about that, yes I understand that you need it… let me transfer you to our President's line." Kathy slammed the phone down and punched in Tony's line number.

Opening a large drawer in her desk, Kathy pulled out a paper sack and a sandwich out of the sack. She opened the Ziploc baggie and grabbed it hastily. Taking a bite, she sighed and slouched in her chair.

"Miss Hughes, ma'am?" came a male's voice over her speakerphone.

"Yes, Victor?" Kath said sharply.

"It's 3 o'clock, ma'am," Victor said. Kath glanced over to her clock.

"Why yes it is, Victor. What a great secretary you are," she said, annoyed.

"You have a meeting with that silk shop across town in 10 minutes," Victor said. Kath gasped, throwing her sandwich back upon the paper bag.

"VICTOR!" Kath yelled angrily as she ran out her office doors and down the hallway.

"I could have sworn I told you an hour ago, ma'am, honestly!" Victor said after her. Kath turned to glare as she was running and ran into Tobias.

"Hey, what's the rush?" Tobias asked.

"Late to a meeting, I've really got to go," Kathy said, running to the elevators. She tapped her foot impatiently as it rose. "Ah forget it, I'm taking the stairs!" she said to no one, and walked over to the stairs door. As soon as the heavy door closed behind her, the elevator opened.

-x-

Ian screeched to a halting stop as the light at an intersection turned red. "Damn! Katie could be in trouble!" There were no cars coming from the other way, but the light stayed red. Ian glanced up to see small, but obvious cameras on top or the light poles. "Trying to catch criminals... Well I am sorry, but Kate could be in danger."

Ian stuck his hand out the window slightly and then quickly closed it into a fist and then opened it again. One of the cameras exploded in a small spark of light. Ian did this to all the other cameras and then took his hand back in. He then tore through the red light and speeded down the road, yelling in a panicked voice all the way, "I broke the law, I broke the law, I broke the law!"

-x-

Kath jotted down some notes as a man with a thick German accent continued to talk about the many fascinating features of silk. Tony was going to want a report since their last silk supplying warehouse went out of business. Suddenly a ringing came from her side and the man stopped talking. "Please excuse me for a second," Kath said, standing up, walking out of the conference room and into the hallway. "Hello?"

"Oh, good. I was afraid you weren't going to answer. There's an emergency and I need you to come home right away," Katie said over the phone.

"Come home? What for, I'm kind of in a meeting right now. Could it wait?" Kath said, putting on a fake smile through the window at the staff.

"What do you think? Get home now, please." Katie hung up.

Kath sighed and rubbed her forehead with one hand. "It may be a demon..." she muttered to herself. She opened the door and walked back in calmly. "I'm sorry gentlemen, but I'm going to have to continue this another time. Please call me and reschedule."

"We have, this is your last available time for weeks," the German man said. Kath sighed.

"I don't doubt that one bit," she muttered, picking up her belongings and leaving.

-x-

Ian pulled into the driveway just as Kathy pulled up on the curb. Ian got out and ran towards the door. He threw it open and Kathy came in behind him. "Katie! Kate, where are you?" Ian got into a fighting stance just incase there were any demons lurking about.

"Hey, hi, how was work?" Katie asked, coming in from the living room into the foyer, a smile on her face. "I hope you haven't brought any home, cause tonight is what I like to call Family Fun Night. It's where—"

"I know what it is!" Kath yelled, throwing her suitcase down. "Now what is so important, I have to get back to work."

"Yeah, Kate. What was the emergency? I really have to get to the office." Ian crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

The grin faded. "Yeah, see, that's the whole emergency. It's my job as the middle sister to keep this family together, or so I'm told... Anyway, all you two do is work, and that doesn't leave much time for family bonding, does it?" Katie asked them.

"...We bond. When we are vanquishing demons, anyway. But Kate, we work for a reason. To get money so we can survive. Now please tell me there is a demon hiding here somewhere, because I am going to be REALLY late."

"Vanquishing demons doesn't count as bonding. It counts as... witchy stuff. And we have enough money, for now, so you two could at least take off a few days to just have some sibling time. Oh, and there isn't a demon around. Activity has been light, which is a good thing."

"Katie..." Kath said as calmly as she could muster. "I ran out of a very important meeting that could cost me very dearly... so please tell me that there is something here to vanquish so I'll feel as though I'm not going to strangle you to death right now."

Katie sighed, then shook her head. "Go back to work then. I guess I'll just sit here, bored and wondering if this family will ever bond..." A second after saying that, there was the slam of the door shutting, which was Kathy walking out the door.

"Okay," Ian said, "I have to start typing up my article. Now you, don't look so glum. Maybe later tonight we can go see a movie or something. But right now I have work to do." Ian patted his sister on the arm and then walked out of the foyer and to the dining room where his laptop was.

-x-

Katie sat up in the attic ten minutes later, tapping a pencil on the pad of paper she had put on the small table. She was trying to think of a spell to cast that would help Ian and Kath become more relaxed and carefree, rather than the workaholics they were now. Hit with a sudden spell idea, she wrote down it down on the paper. "Okay, here goes nothing," she mumbled under her breath. "Everyday we do run. From demons and warlocks, it is not much fun. Now is time to stop the sin. Take a break, and release the child within," she said, burning the pictures of her siblings while saying the spell.

There was a crash downstairs. Katie leapt up from the floor where she was sitting, and ran downstairs to see a five year old kid standing over a broken vase.

-x-

Kathy lay asleep on a large pile of papers. There was a tapping on her wood door and she jolted up. "Don't close the deal!" she yelled absentmindedly.

Tobias, at her door, frowned. "A little overworked, are we?" he asked. Kathy shook her head in dismay. "So I'm guessing we're postponing dinner tonight... again," Tobias said, walking over, clearing a spot of and sitting on it.

"I really wish that I could, but it looks like I'll be up here at least until midnight," Kath said, leaning on her propped up arm. "Maybe this weekend?"

"I'm out of town this weekend for some odd show Tony found and is sending some of guys on," Tobias said with a sigh. Kath shook her head and laughed lightly.

"I'm available in a few months then," she said. Tony walked by and both of them looked up.

"I better get back to work," Tobias said, giving Kath a quick peck on the cheek. Kath smiled and nodded. As Tobias reached the door, he turned back around to see no one. He frowned and walked back over to her desk, examining the area. He saw something move from under the desk. As he knelt down to see what it was, he was suddenly poked in cheek with a pencil. "Ow," he exclaimed, rubbing his cheek. There was child-like laughter. "What the..."

-x-

"Hey! Get back here!" Katie chased the little kid into the kitchen and grabbed his arm. "Okay, somehow a little kid got into our house. And where is Ian!"

"I'm Ian," the kid said.

Katie stared at him. A look of surprise came to her face. "Oh my god... it is you!" she cried, realizing that the kid was the five year old form of Ian. "Great, what have I done now!"

Ian tugged his arm out of Katie's grasp. "I wanna play hide and seek!"

"We're not playing hide and seek. We're going to play... find your other sister and save her from the horrible monsters at work," Katie said, thinking that if this happened to Ian, it had to have happened to Kath.

"But Katie doesn't have a job. And I wanna play hide and seek!" Ian then ran out to the living room and hid behind the couch, giggling.

Katie followed Ian into the living room. "I am Katie! Come on Ian, we'll pick up Kathy, and you can play hide and seek with her after we get back, okay?"

Ian stood up. "You not Katie! You big lady! Katie is three!"

"I'm Katie grown up. You can ask me anything, and I'd probably know it." Katie sighed, seeing the suspicious look on his face. "Promise."

Ian stood there for a moment and then a grin spread across his face. "Grandma is gonna freak when she sees you!"

-x-

Katie stood outside Kathy's office door, holding Ian's hand. "Now be polite," she told him, knowing what he was like at this age. He nodded, and Katie opened the door to find a young five year old running around the room, waving a pencil in the air. Quickly she got into the room, pulling Ian after her, and shut the door. "What is going on here?" she asked Tobias as Ian went to join who Katie assumed was Kath.

"I'd like to know myself," Tobias said, stopping in front of Katie with various pencil marks all over his face. "One minute we're having an adult conversation about dinner and the next thing I know—" Little Kathy ran by and poked his leg. "AH! This happens!" He exclaimed, glaring after the girl.

Katie hid a grin at the sight of Tobias' face. "Well, I think this may be my fault... I kinda cast a spell that accidentally turned my siblings into five year olds... Ian! Stop that!" He was typing on the keyboard at Kathy's computer.

"I'm a writer!" Ian yelled. There was a loud beep from the computer and a window appeared. Ian read it out loud. "Delete all files? Yes... No... Yes!" He was about to click 'yes' when Katie grabbed his arm.

"No! Don't touch that! Bad Ian! ...God, I never thought I would have to discipline my _older_ brother." At that moment the door opened and Tony came in.

He surveyed the scene and narrowed his eyes. "Tobias! What is going on! And where is Kathy? Some very important clients just told me that she ran out of a meeting with them." Tobias opened his mouth, but Tony continued. "And who the hell are all these people? Whose kids are these? And why does that one have a very sharp pencil!" He pointed at Kathy who was about to jab Tobias in the leg with the pencil.

Katie grabbed her and pulled her close. "Uh... I am Kathy's sister, Katie. And these are our little cousins."

Tony's nostrils flared. "And where is Kathy?"

Katie bit her lip. "Um... she is... at home... sick! Yes, sick. Very, very sick."

"Uh huh. She seemed fine this morning."

"Uh, well it was one of those things that just comes right out of no where."

The boss nodded slowly and then said, "And why are you here with... your cousins?"

Katie was trying to hold onto Ian and Kathy who were both struggling to get out of her grasp. "Uh... well she asked us to pick up something from her office and Tobias is here to help us search for it. Right Tobias?"

"What? Oh... right." He nodded vigorously.

"Yes," Katie said. "Now we have to go home and check up on Kathy. Bye!" With that Katie then dragged Ian, Kathy, _and_ Tobias out of the office.

-x-

Katie opened the door of the manor twenty minutes later and jumped out of the way as the two five year olds ran past her. She closed the door, and then hunted down the kids. "Why don't you go play hide and seek with Kathy, while I make dinner?" she said to Ian when she found him in the living room.

"Okay!" He hit Kathy on the arm and yelled, "You're it! Now you have to close your eyes and count to ten!" Ian then ran out of the room and up the stairs.

Kath leaned against the wall as Ian ran upstairs. "1... 2... 4... 47... 5... 9..."

Katie shook her head and led the way into the kitchen, Tobias following. "You might want to wash your face, Tobias. You have pencil all over," she said, chuckling.

Tobias shook his head and walked over to the sink. After splashing his face and scrubbing most of the pencil off, he turned the water off. "So what are we supposed to do with them, besides hide every writing and sharp utensil?"

"The only thing I can think of doing is wait until the spell wears off," Katie said, pulling a frozen pizza out of the freezer and putting it into the oven. "They certainly don't remember a thing about their adult life, so it's possible they don't have their powers..." There was an explosion, as if on cue, from upstairs, then the sound of two kids screaming.

After sharing a half-second glance with Tobias, they both ran upstairs into Ian's bedroom. A lamp blew up, and the two children were hiding under the bed with their feet sticking out from one end. Katie could hear Kathy was sobbing, and Ian oddly trying to calm her down, though clearly afraid himself. "Apparently I'm wrong," she said to Tobias before going over to the bed and getting down on the floor to look at Ian and Kathy. "It's okay, guys. It's just... a special power Ian has. It can't hurt you."

Ian's face seemed to go from fear to wonderment in a split second. "Power? A super power? Like Superman?" he asked, his eyes lighting up.

Katie blinked. She had forgotten Ian liked Superman when he was little. "Yeah, just like Superman. Except with this one you can blow up things."

Kathy crawled out from under the bed and tried to run, but tripped over her untied shoelaces and fell. Putting her hands up in defense, two small weak beams shot out and blew two holes into the wall, just nearly hitting Katie in the head.

"Gah!" Katie cried, falling back onto the floor. "I am so happy I didn't know her when she was this young," she muttered, then stood back up and went to help Kathy off of the floor. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. But I'm really hungry," Kath said as her stomach growled.

"I'm hungry too!" Ian yelled. He jumped up to his feet and then started yelling and banging. "I want cookies! I want cookies!"

"Advil... I need Advil..." she said to Tobias. He grinned while reaching a hand down to Kathy. "We're going to have pizza for dinner, then you guys can have dessert," she said to the kids.

"Pizza!" Ian yelled. Then he and Kathy ran out of the room.

-x-

"It is time." The three members of the Triad stood in a circle. The leader, whose name was Tocor, was addressing the other two. "The three witches are weakened at the moment. It is time to call on Jarel."

They all raised their hands and chanted. In the center of the circle the air shimmered and Jarel appeared. "You called?"

Lomear, the second Triad member nodded. "It is time for you to go after the witches. The middle sister accidentally changed her siblings into five year olds. It should be an easy task."

Jarel frowned. "Not too easy I hope. I like to have a challenge."

Yosar, the third and final member chuckled. "One of them is still at full strength. Make sure you don't mess this up." Jarel nodded and then blinked out.

"You think he will fail?" Lomear asked. Tocor stayed silent for a moment.

"Only time will tell."

-x-

"Well I'm going to go for the night," Tobias said, setting a stack of plates in the sink. "If you need me, call me," he said, picking up his jacket and leaving. Katie nodded and yawned as the door closed behind him.

"I want dessert now!" Kathy said.

"Yeah, you said there dessert!" Ian said.

"Yeah, that's all you need, more sugar," Katie mumbled. "Can't we just play 'sit-quietly-so-Katie-doesn't-lose-what-little-mind-she-has-left?'"

"NO!" Kathy and Ian yelled in unison.

"I was afraid of that…" Katie mumbled.

An hour later, Ian and Kathy were fast asleep on the couch in the living room. Their stomachs were full and they had gotten tired after running around the house for thirty minutes. Katie sighed and then sat down in her favorite chair. She yawned and closed her eyes. A moment later she was in a deep sleep.

-x-

_Ding dong!_ Katie woke with a start when she heard the bell. Ian and Kathy were watching cartoons on the television. "Now who could that be at this early in the morning?" she mumbled.

Ian looked at her and smiled. "It not morning. It noon!" Katie jumped to her feet.

"What! Oh crap, I am _so_ late for work!" She ran to the door when it rang again and flung it open. "Nate! Hi... What are you doing here?"

Nathan gave Katie a quick kiss and then smiled. "Well I called your work, but they said you had never showed up. So I called your cell and there was no answer. So I decided to come check up on you."

Katie blushed. "Oh that is so sweet. Thanks." At that moment Ian and Kathy ran into the foyer.

"Ah! Big man!" Ian yelled. "I blow him up!"

Katie grabbed Ian's hands. "No!" Nate looked at her with an odd look in his eyes. "Uh... he thinks he has super powers," Katie whispered.

Nate nodded, and then came into the foyer, shutting the door behind him. "What's your name?" he asked, crouching down so he was eye level with Ian.

"My name is Ian!"

Nate frowned. "Okay... is this Ian Junior or something? I was sure Ian didn't have a kid..." Nate looked up at Katie. "Whose kids _are_ these?"

Katie suppressed a groan as Ian said his name. "Cousins... Yeah, like second cousins or something. Ian is a popular name, you know?"

Nate stood up. "I thought it was a rare name... Part Scottish I think." Nate turned to Kathy to ask her what her name was, but Katie took his arm and led him towards the kitchen. "Would you like some coffee or something?"

"Sure... but is everything okay? You seem a little... off."

Katie started up the coffee machine. "Off? Might be because I just woke up... and the fact that yesterday was the day from hell. I never knew how much energy two five year olds can have just from pizza..." She sat down at the table with Nate. "And I've learned to never give them sharp objects, pencils included... Don't ask."

Ian came into the room, crying. "Kathy poked me with a pencil!"

Katie was about to get up to comfort Ian, but Nate held up his hand. "No, I got it." Katie nodded and then sat back down. Nate turned to Ian. "Hey little man, you are five, right?" Ian nodded. "Well you are getting too big to cry. Now wipe those tears."

Ian wiped his eyes and then smiled. "Thanks!"

Nate grinned. "No problem." He then put his hand on Ian's shoulder and Ian's eyes closed tightly and then he gasped. A second later he began crying again and ran out of the kitchen.

Katie frowned in concern and quickly followed Ian out of the kitchen and upstairs, Nathan trailing behind. She found him in his own bedroom, sitting down on the bed, crying softly. Sitting down beside him, she picked him up and put him in her lap, asking, "What happened, Ian?"

"I... I don't know," Ian said through his sobs. "I saw a man..." Ian looked at Nate. "Him. I saw him. And then there was another man... he killed him," Ian said, pointing at Nate.

Nate stopped at the doorway, and stared at Ian. "Wha...?"

Katie jerked her head up at the sound of Nate's voice. "Hold that thought, and watch Kathy for a few minutes, will you? Ian, come with me," she said, putting him on the ground and walked with him up to the attic. "Okay, Ian, I have a big book of magical stuff I think you'll like. Tell me when you see the bad guy in your vision," she told him, opening the book and flipping the pages slowly.

Ian watched as Katie turned the pages. He saw horrible things. Things with fangs; things with horns. Katie was about to turn another page, but Ian held up his hand. "Him. It was him."

"Jarel... Why does that name sound familiar?" Katie mused aloud. She racked her brain for any information. What came to her was not comforting. "Dad gum it," she said quietly.

-x-

Kathy and Nate sat quietly on opposite ends of the sofa. "Are you going to die?" Kathy blurted out curiously.

"No!" Nate said quickly. "Your cousin's got quite an imagination, that's all." There was more silence. "What was your name again?" Nate asked, drawing a blank.

"Kathy," she replied why eyeing him funny.

"Kathy… you are one odd family. Is everyone in your family named Katie, Ian, and Kathryn?"

"No," Kathy said, shaking her head.

"Huh. So tell me this, do you like your cousin Kathy? You must think it's neat that you have the same name, right?" Nate asked, struggling to make conversation.

"I don't have a cousin named Kathy," Kathy said sliding off the couch. Grabbing a piece of paper and crayons that were on the table she began to color. Nate looked at crookedly.

"Sure you do. Kathy Hughes or something like that."

"My name's Kathy Hug—"Just then there was a crashing upstairs and the two looked up.

Upstairs in the attic Ian watched as Katie was thrown into an old dresser. Jarel had appeared a moment ago and had immediately shot a fireball at Katie. He then looked at Ian. "The rumors were true. You are much cuter as a five year old. But soon you will just be dead." Katie got to her feet and ran at the Warlock.

But he held up his hand and a bolt of electricity shot out and hit Katie head on. She fell to the floor, unconscious, with several burn marks on her arms and face. At that moment, Nate and Kathy came running into the room. "What the!" Nate yelled. He saw Katie on the floor. "Oh no, Katie!"

Jarel smiled. "Ah... Mortal Kibble. My favorite." He conjured a fireball, but Ian cried out and threw up his hands. The fireball exploded and was gone.

Ian glowed brightly and grew tall: he was himself again. "Whoa... that was weird." He saw Nate standing there, looking scared. "Nate, get out of here!" Nate just stared with his mouth hanging open. Ian sighed. "I don't have time for this." He turned to Jarel. "I knew you would be back. I had just hoped it wouldn't be for a long time."

"We don't always get what we want."

"Well I will. I want you dead. And that's what we will do." Ian kicked out, his foot hitting Jarel in the chest and making him stumble. "Kathy!" Ian called. "Heal Katie!"

Kathy was standing in a corner, crying. "But... How do I..?"

"You have the power! Now just do it!"

Kathy's lip was trembling, but she nodded and ran over to Katie. Kneeling down Kathy shook Katie. "Katie... um... heal!"

Ian dodged a fireball what Jarel threw and groaned. "Put your hands on her wounds and concentrate!"

Kathy did so and then her hands glowed. Katie's burns disappeared and she opened her eyes. "YAY! I did it!" Kathy squealed. She then suddenly grew and was returned to her normal state. "Oh my..." The two sisters got up and looked over to where Ian was fighting with Jarel. And losing. The Warlock hit Ian across the face, making him fall.

Katie ran over to stand in front of Nathan, who was still staring at the fight, obviously in shock. "Nathan, get out of here unless you want to get hurt," Katie said, taking a moment to push him out the door, not caring if she got hurt in the process. Then she turned around to find Jarel attacking her younger sister.

"Hey!" Katie yelled, using her telekinesis to make a broken piece of the dresser she had been slammed into fly and hit Jarel in the head. Angrily he turned around while Katie went over to Ian and helped him up. "Do you have a spell on you?" she asked, while Kathy ran over to them and made another piece of wood fly at Jarel.

Ian shook his head. "No... I don't have any spell. And there wasn't any spell for him in the Book. We need some time. But we have none."

Kathy came and stood next to her two siblings. "Well we have to do something. And he is just one Warlock. How tough can he be?" Katie and Ian gave Kathy a look. "Um... okay, I take it back."

Jarel glared at them all. "You can't vanquish me. No one can." He conjured another fireball and was about to throw it when... WHAM! Jarel fell to the floor. Nate now stood there with the remains of a broken chair in his hands.

"Wow... Uh... Thanks Nate," Katie said, surprised.

"Okay, um, we have to use this time," Ian said. "Nate... back away." Nate still looked scared and confused, but he did what Ian said. "Okay, now let's join hands." Katie and Kathy both took one of Ian's hands and Ian felt the Power of Three flow through him.

"Okay... let me think. Um... Jarel you are a powerful foe, but we are stronger than thou. Our magic always succeeds and is the best... So with these words we shall erase your evil zest!"

Jarel tried to stand up, but he was engulfed in flames. "No! This can't happen! I am invincible!" _BAM!_ Jarel exploded and a shockwave was sent through the room, knocking all of them to the floor.

Ian sat up and looked over at Nate who was getting up. "Um... Kate. I think you have some explaining to do."

-x-

"I'm a witch."

"A witch? Kate, I don't understand."

Nate stood near the window, looking at her in disbelief. On the other side of the room, Katie looked at him helplessly, unable to soften the blow of finding out that he was dating something magical, different.

Katie looked at the floor, thinking before she spoke. "I'm a witch. I fight evil, demons, warlocks."

"The guy looked human! We have jails for that kind of thing!"

"No, Nate, you don't understand—"

"You're right, I don't. How am I supposed to believe you when you say there's some sort of different species of human in the world?" Nate's expression twisted, now looking at her like she was insane.

"Yeah, I am insane," Katie replied. "But not about this. This—this is my life now, and it's Ian's and Kathy's, too. I can't change that, but I'm trying to live a normal life."

Nate shook his head as if he was trying to clear it. "A life of injuries and premature death? You want this?"

"Of course I don't! I want to be with you, like I was in Hawaii, but my brother almost died. Right now, I can't give this up."

"Have you tried?"

"I just said in Hawaii—"

"Yeah. Hawaii." Nate paused for a moment, then grabbed his coat from the back of the couch. "I have to go... wrap my head around this or something."

As he started moving towards the front door, Katie moved quickly to stand in front of him. "Please. If I could give it up, I would. You just need to understand everything."

"Kate, just let me leave."

"When—when we first met, you said that I was powerful, dangerous. I am, just not in the way you want me to be."

Side-stepping, Nate walked past her. "I have to go."

This time Katie didn't stop him, but stayed rooted to the spot in the living room. Seconds later, the door closed, and footsteps faded down the steps. Her head turned, glancing out the window to where Nate was walking down the cement sidewalk.

"Hey." Kathy and Ian walked into the room, stopping near the entrance. "You okay?"

"You were spying, huh?"

"Us?" Ian asked, feigning innocence badly. "...Yeah, we were."

Katie smiled crookedly, sorrow in her eyes. "Yeah, I'll be fine. He'll be back soon."

"Well maybe he can accept all this," Kathy said. "He just needs some time. And I need some time to recover as well. I remember everything that happened. And being five was fun... but not a very good thing when a demon comes."

"That reminds me," Ian said with a frown. "Jarel said did not seemed surprised that I was a five year old. Like he already knew. And I want to know how he knew..."

-x-

The Triad stood in their regular circle, but they did not seem to be in a good mood. Jarel had failed. Meaning they had failed the Source. And the Source was not too happy. He stood in the center of the circle, his face hidden by the hood of his cloak. "The three witches still live. They were in a weakened state, yet they still were able to vanquish Jarel, one of the most powerful Warlocks there ever was." The Source eyed them all in turn and then continued. "Now let's see... how many times have you failed me? Oh, too many to count. This was your last chance... And now you have none left. I will just have to deal with these witches on my own."

"Please," Lomear said. "Just let us try once more. We will summon a demon tha-"

"No. Your time is up." The Source conjured a fire ball and threw it at Lomear, vaporizing him. He then did the same to the other two. All that was left were scorch marks. The Source waved his hand and the air in front of him shimmered and then showed a view of Katie, Kathy, and Ian sitting on their couch together. "Be happy while you can, little witches. I am coming for you."


	40. Future's Present

A/N: Hi. I really need to start updating this thing more often. So, anyway, good news? Autumn/AK finished 3.1, mostly. She just kinda got sucked into her tunnel-o-vision and left out a few... _key_... parts.-coughs- Yeah. Gotta fix that.

Giggle, I can't wait til you guys reach season three. You will so totally hate us. I mean it, you will. But I think it might be a good hate. So far we have eleven (exactly half) done. Most of it is mid-season, with one in the later part and three in the early part. Yeah, we really need to polish 3.1 and get it out. Then I might be able to post this thing faster. Anyway,Ian's and myfavorite is 3.6, because, well... it just is. I can't tell you yet, sorry.

**EmeraldxTiger: I heart you. Thank you for your heartwarming review. And I'm sorry, I thought I had replied to you last chapter.**

_For everyone else: I feel very unloved. You know I never say this, but really. People, come on! I prefer a full sentence, but one-word things are okay too! Just nooverly-rudeflames.-mutters- 29 in 39 chapters... _

* * *

**2.15: Future's Present**

"Hiya!" Ian spun in a circle and roundhouse kicked his demon foe. The dirty and venomous creature fell to the dirt in a heap. His skin was black and he had long and mangy hair. Ian and Kathy had found him lurking in the woods near the local park after Ian had had a vision of a jogger getting attacked and killed.

Ian turned to his sister as she came running up to stand beside him. There was a bloody scratch on her arm. The demon had hurled Kathy into a tree with its power to send out shockwaves from its hands. "You okay?" Ian asked.

Kathy nodded. "Yeah. It's just a scratch. Now let's say the spell and get rid of this guy." When Ian had told Kathy of his vision the two had immediately searched the Book of Shadows. The demon was called Xizor and he lived off human organs. Luckily there had been a vanquishing spell so that they hadn't needed to make one up.

Xizor snarled as he got to his feet. "You witches will not stop me. I will have a feast with your hearts and intestines!"

Ian smirked. "You wish." He pulled out the vanquishing spell and held it up so he and Kathy could read it.

"Demon with a massive hunger, you kill and make innocents bleed. With our power we drive you under, no more shall you feed."

Xizor groaned in pain and fell to his knees. His skin began to writhe and bulge. "Oh... he's gonna blow!" Kathy grabbed Ian by the arm and pulled him behind a tree just as Xizor exploded, sending black goo in every direction.

"Yuck," Ian said, his face scrunching up as a pungent smell reached his nostrils. "And I thought people had bad gas after eating too many burritos. I guess when you eat organs the smell is worse."

"Oh yeah," Kathy agreed. She waved her hand in front of her face. "Let's get out of here. I can't stand this smell much longer."

"Neither can I. And we have to see how Katie is holding up. She has been such a wreck for the past week. Nate hasn't called or shown up. I hope he comes back."

"Well finding out that your girlfriend is a witch is most likely a lot to handle."

Ian nodded. "I know. But I really hope he comes back. Katie loved him. And I can't stand to see her this way."

-x-x-

Katie paced the living room floor, trying to think of something to do. Half of her wanted to call Nathan, but the other, sensible half knew that this was something that he had to go through on his own, without her interfering. For a split second, she envied Kathy and Tobias' relationship. They never had any reason to hide anything from each other, including the witch business.

She picked up a book of crossword puzzles she had picked up at the store and started the first one. Mainly it was something to keep her hands, and brain, busy, and to not think about Nate anymore than was possible. _A three letter word for evil... Ugh,_ she thought in disgust. She had never been any good at these word puzzles. _Katie, you must have been insane when you bought this book,_ she told herself, throwing the book down on the couch next to her.

The sound the door opening and of two pairs of feet crossing the threshold made her head jerk up out of her thoughts. A second later, Ian and Kathy stood in the living room door, clearly happy with themselves. "So, save another innocent?" Katie asked knowingly.

"How did you know?" Kath asked, while the two siblings came to sit in the living room: Kathy on the couch next to her, and Ian on the chair in front of them.

"I would know that look a mile away. I saved innocents too, you know," Katie replied, putting false cheerfulness and teasing in her tone.

Kath grinned. "Oh. Right. Well technically we did. The person we were supposed to save wasn't there yet."

"Thanks to my premonition," Ian said with a boastful smile.

Kath rolled her eyes. "Yes. Thanks to Ian's premonition we got there and vanquished the demon before the jogger came."

"Yeah, but this one didn't go up in a puff of smoke or flame. It exploded and sent this black goo everywhere. Smelled like rotten eggs." Ian paused for a moment. "Well, I'm going to go wash up," he said, standing up and walking towards the bathroom. After Ian left there was a short silence.

"How are ya holding up?" Kathy asked, trying her hardest not to be nosey.

"Fine," Katie lied. Kath twisted her lips. She could tell before Ian and she had walked in that Katie was feeling alone, angry, jealous and other emotions.

"No call?" Kathy asked.

"No call," Katie replied.

"Well..." Kath tried to think of comforting words. "Well, he will. It'll just take him a while to come to his senses. He'll realize that he really loves you and it doesn't matter. I'm sure of it."

"If you say so, Kath," Katie said, standing up and patting her on the shoulder on the way out of the living room. _I sure hope so,_ she thought silently to herself.

-x-x-

Later that day Ian walked into the attic to find Katie standing at the pedestal in the middle of the room, flipping through the Book of Shadows.

"Kate..." Ian said, coming up next to his sister. "Whatcha doing?"

Katie did not even look up as she answered. "Just a spell."

Ian nodded and then stayed silent for a moment. "...A spell for what?"

This time Katie turned to Ian and glared. "Stop being so nosy! I am a big girl now. I think I can make my own decisions on things without having to come and ask of your permission first."

"I never said tha—"

But Katie cut him off. "Look, I know that you and Kathy are concerned about me, but you shouldn't be. I'm fine. So please just leave me alone!"

Ian watched Katie with sympathetic eyes. "Okay. I'm sorry that I was being... nosy. I will just..."

"Just what?" Katie asked. Yet Ian did not answer. He was looking past Katie, his eyes widening. "What is it?" Katie turned around. "Oh my god!" Katie yelled. For just a few feet away, a large portal was opening up. "Uh... Ian? What is happening?"

"I... I have no clue," Ian stuttered.

At that moment Kathy came in. "Hey, guys, we are out of milk and... Holy cow! What is that!"

Katie and Ian did not glance at their sister; just kept their eyes on the enlarging portal. "We are not sure of that at the moment," Katie said.

"Maybe we should get out of here," Ian said to his sisters. But before any of them could move they were all suddenly sucked into the portal. It closed a second later and the attic was quiet and peaceful once again.

-x-x-

When Ian first opened his eyes everything was just a blur. He blinked a few times and his vision cleared. "Okay, what the hell just happened?" He was lying on a wood floor... in the attic. "What the? Weren't we just sucked into a portal?"

Ian got up and then glanced around. His sisters were lying on the floor just as he had been. Their eyes were closed. "Hey," Ian spoke loudly. "Wake up you guys!"

Katie opened one eye, then the other, a headache forming quickly upon awakening. Propping herself up on her elbows, she looked around. Nothing seemed different in the attic... "What happened to the portal?"

Ian shrugged. "It's gone. But... why are we still in the attic? We were sucked in..." Ian helped Katie up from the floor, and then Kathy, who had woken up just after Katie.

"Maybe we just imagined it," Kathy said brushing herself off. But things seemed different. Various things were placed differently than before. "Maybe the milk was bad anyway... I shouldn't have drank the last of it, I tell you. I say we just blow it off, we have enough on our plates as it is."

Katie stared at Kath for a moment. "Are you saying the milk was evil?" Just as Kath was about to reply, the door of the attic opened, and a young teenager, no older than thirteen, possibly younger, stood there.

"Hey Mom. Uncle Ian. Aunt Kathy...What are you guys all doing up here?"

The three of them stared at the girl in shock. "Did she just say uncle?" Ian asked.

"Did she just say aunt?"

"Did she just say _mom_!" Katie cried.

The girl laughed. "Okay, you guys got me to laugh. Congratulations to you all."

Kath cocked her head to the side. She stood speechless for a second, glancing back and forth between Katie and the teenager. "Humor me," Kath said after a second of silence. "Who are you again?"

The girl frowned. "Didn't have your coffee this morning Aunt Kathy? Or are you just losing your memory? I hope it is the first one, because you are only thirty-five."

"Thirty-five! What the hell are you talking about, young lady? I am not thirty-five."

Ian glanced at his youngest sister. She looked really mad. "Um... okay, how about you just go downstairs. We will be down in a minute," Ian said.

The girl shrugged. "Whatever." She then left the room, but not before giving an odd look at Kathy.

"Thirty-five! That girl must have gotten a hit to the head, because I am not—"

"Quiet!" Katie yelled. "...I think I know what happened. That portal must have been one to the future. And if that girl thinks that you are thirty-five... then it must have lead twelve years into the future."

"But _who_ sent us here?" Ian said. "And why?"

"Dunno," Katie replied thoughtfully. She paused for a moment, thinking, then spun around and went downstairs to see the girl talking to... Nathan. "Nate!"

He looked up from the conversation and smiled. "Hey sweetie. Lexi told me that Kath was acting weird; is she okay?"

Katie stood on the bottom step of the staircase, her eyebrows raised. "Uh... Yeah, musta been some sort of mind burp..."

Ian and Kathy came down the stairs behind Katie. "Nate!" they both yelled at the same time.

Nate frowned. "Why do you all seem so surprised to see me? I do live here, you know."

"Live here!" the three siblings cried.

Ian quickly said, "...Of course you live here. Yes." He started to walk down past Katie, but he tripped and fell past her, slamming straight into Katie's future daughter.

_WHAM! _The vision hit Ian like a ton of bricks. Everything was in full color and seemed so real. Ian saw a park... Alexis was running. She looked scared and was screaming. The view changed to show a hideous demon chasing after her.

He was large, had green skin, and pail yellow claws grew six inches long from his finger tips. The demon caught up with Alexis and took her down. He then opened his mouth up very wide and ate the girl in one bite.

Ian fell to the floor when the vision ended. It had been so powerful. Unlike any he had ever experienced. And he now had a massive headache.

"Ian?" Nate asked. "Did you just have a vision?"

"Um... No! No, of course not. I'm fine, really." Ian got up and grabbed his sisters' arms. "Excuse us for a minute." He pulled them into the kitchen and then let go of their arms. "I had a premonition!" he hissed.

Kath tilted her head. "Didn't you just say you didn't?"

"Beside the point," Ian said. Kathy and Katie exchanged a glance.

"Right..." Katie trailed off. "Now, what was this premonition about?"

"Well it was the most massive and powerful premonition I've ever had. Lexi was the park running from a green demon, with long yellow nails. It chased her down and ate her in one bite," Ian explained.

"Give it back!" a girl cried outside the kitchen.

"I need it more than you do!" Lexi said as she passed the kitchen doorway.

"It's mine!" said the little girl that had entered the doorway area.

"I'm just going to the park, you don't need it anyways."

"Uh, I don't think you should go to the park, young lady," Katie interrupted. Lexi let out a long sigh.

"Look, it's like Brian's going to be there!"

"Brian!" Katie blurted out.

"Moooommm!" The other little girl, a few years younger than Lexi, whined. Katie and Kathy looked at each other. They looked at the little girl.

"There is something seriously wrong with you three," Lexi stated, grabbing a something that appeared to be a music listening device. "I'm out," she said, walking out the backdoor. There was a baby crying upstairs, making everyone glance up.

"Lily, can you take care of your brother please?" called Nate from the living room.

"So I have three kids?" Katie mumbled aloud.

"Uh, no." Lily said. "And I thought Nate said Mom was sick..." she trailed off down the hallway upstairs. Kathy's eyes widened.

"You're seriously kidding me," she said. "First I'm thirty-five, and now I'm a mother? This is getting more interesting by the minute."

"Tell me about it," Katie said.

"Hello, has everyone suddenly forgotten about Lexi? She just left for the park!" Ian said, snapping everyone back into the twisted reality.

"Mom!" Lily called from upstairs. Kathy slightly cringed.

"Coming!" she yelled. "Look, you two head to the park. I'll catch up with you as soon as I can."

"Alright," Ian said. "But make it snappy. We really shouldn't separate in case another portal opens up and fix this... thing."

As Kathy left the room Ian and Katie went outside. "Whoa!" Ian yelled. The neighborhood was _very_ different from since he had last seen it. Sleek and futuristic cars zoomed by in the street, hovering several inches over the ground and kids played with toys that could create holograms.

Ian looked over at his car and gasped. It was still a black Honda civic, but it too hovered above the ground. "Wow. The future is pretty damn cool."

"That's for sure," Katie agreed.

The two got into the future car and Ian looked for an ignition. There was none. "Okay, how do you start this thing?"

"I am guessing you push that," Katie said, pointing to a green button that said Start.

"Oh. Right." Ian pushed it and the car came to life.

"Good morning, Ian. Please state where you wish to go," came a voice.

"Who said that?"

"I did, of course." The voice was female and had a light tone. It seemed to come from everywhere.

"Ian? Is the car... talking?"

"Of course I am, Katie," came the voice.

"And... do you have a name?" Ian asked.

There came a laugh. "Yes. You should know. You gave it to me. My name is Hon."

"Right... I knew that. Okay, Hon, we want to go to the local park, please."

"Certainly." The car backed out of the driveway and then sped of down the road.

-x-x-

"Okay. Find demon, kill him, save daughter. Find demon, kill him, save daughter," Katie said repeatedly.

Ian sighed. "Hush. You might attract stares will all the muttering about demons."

"Right."

They continued walking down the paved path of the park. There were gadgets of all sorts around them: holograms that played with kids, flying cars, and hovering bicycles to name a few. She wondered what the computers were like; if the cars could talk, what were the PCs like in the offices?

"Who is that talking to Lexi?" Katie asked suddenly, pointing at Lexi and a cute boy standing together.

"Apparently that would be Brian," Ian said dryly.

Katie nodded. "Perfect." She ignored Ian's glance, and stared forward.

Once they reached the two children, Katie smiled. "Lexi, great to see you here. Who's this?"

Alexis stared at her, incredulity in her expression. "This is Brian. You met him, remember? About a week ago. Why are you even here?"

Ian jumped in at the moment. "We... wanted to go for a walk. It's a beautiful day."

"And so you followed me here. Perfect plan, guys. Now if you excuse us..." Lexi said, pulling Brain away by the arm.

"It's nice you see you again, Mr. King, Mrs. Downs," Brain said over his shoulder as he followed Lexi.

"Katie Downs. Sounds sort of depressing, but works for me," Katie said thoughtfully, continuing down the path.

"Oh stop. Be happy that Nate decided to see past the witch part and see you and love you for who you are. So by coming into this... 'future' we have found out several things. You have Nate and a daughter, Kathy has two children, and I... well we know nothing about me right now."

Katie was about to say something when a huge green demon leapt from the trees and onto the path. "Oh, Ian, blow it up!"

Ian threw up his hands and the pathway exploded, sending a shockwave through the air that knocked him and Katie off their feet. Pieces of dirt and blacktop rained down on them. "Oh... I guess that my power grows some in the range of twelve years."

Katie got to her feet and rubbed her back. "And getting thrown to the ground hurts a lot more as well..."

Ian stood and nodded. "Well we are getting older." There were sounds of people running towards them and Ian glanced over his shoulder to see a crowd coming around the bend. "Freeze them!"

Katie shot out her hands and the whole crowd froze. Along with everything else. The birds in the trees, the bugs in the air, and also the demon who had just been getting to his feet.

"You just froze... everything," Ian said, looking around.

"Talk about upgrades."

"Yeah. I just hope I can concentrate my upgraded power to blow up just the demon." Ian stared at the demon for a long moment and then flicked his hands. A tree was blasted into smithereens, sending splinters of wood all over. "Damn." At that moment the demon unfroze. He took one look at them and then disappeared. "Oh... that can't be good."

"No, Ian. It isn't." She sighed. "I sure hope Kathy is having a better time than we are."

-x-x-

Kath peeked in the doorway to her room. It had changed so much. There was a crib in the corner and a rocking chair nearby where Lily sat rocking the baby.

"Ugh, there you are. Well I changed his diaper and he's getting tired, so here ya go," Lily said, standing up and handing Kath the baby boy. Kath took him as Lily walked out and into the attic. Kathy was awestruck. She sat down in the rocker and began slowly rocking her son in her cradled arms.

"And I thought drinking sour milk was going to be the most interesting thing that happened today…" Kath whispered as she set her head against the chair's headboard. There had been a sinking feeling in her stomach ever since she'd heard Lily was her daughter and this boy was her son.

She hadn't seen or heard of a father. Obviously there was one, but she feared that it wasn't who'd she hope it was. The baby writhed and whined uncomfortably in her grasp. It was as though he sensed something was wrong with her. Kath snapped out of her thinking and positioned the baby's head on her shoulder.

"Shhh…" she whispered, putting her cheek against his head. Suddenly there was an overwhelming feeling of tiredness, and instinctively she closed her eyes. She felt old. She felt entirely different. She felt so close to these children, yet they didn't exist. It was like a sweet dream, but deep down inside, Kath knew she had to wake up sooner or later.

This kept pricking her in the side like a thorny rose. Beautiful but unfulfilling. Kath felt saddened and worried about her future, but then this warm wave filled her body, making goose bumps rise on her arms and neck.

"Hey," said a familiar voice at the door. Kath opened her eyes and saw Tobias. Kathy melted right there. She was so incredibly relieved. "Nate told me you three had been acting a little off today. Is something up?" Kath stood up and sat the sleeping baby in his crib.

"I'd like to know myself," she whispered, stroking the baby's face with the back of a finger. There was an odd ringing noise coming from the nightstand next to her bed. Kath turned and picked up what appeared to be a cell phone. "Hello?"

"Kathy, we need you to come to the park. The demon's on the loose and we can't find him," Ian said.

"How can I help?" Kath asked, sitting on the bed and looking at Tobias.

"Well it seems our powers have grown immensely. We're hoping that your telepathy has too and maybe you can sense him," Ian said.

"Oh, okay. I'll be right there," Kath said, taking the phone away from her ear and looking for a hang-up button. "Uh…" Tobias walked over and pushed a button.

"You sure you're alright?" he asked with concern.

"Fine, just… fine," Kath said, walking out of the room.

She walked out the front door and was nearly blown away with amazement. She saw what appeared to be her car. "There's no way I'm messing with that," she mumbled. Kath began to walk to the park, every now and then raising a brow to some odd contraption or improvement that caught her attention.

-x-x-

Back in the year of 2003 the Source stood over a hovering cauldron in a cave of the Underworld. He dropped in what appeared to be human fingers and then muttered some magical words.

A short demon suddenly shimmered into the cave. "My lord. I have some news."

The Source stopped what he was doing. "What is it?"

"There are reports that the Kings are gone. The Elders have sent them to the future."

"You are sure of this?"

"Very sure."

"Good... With the King siblings out of my way I should be able to take over."

The demon ran a hand through his short hair. "But... what if they come back?"

"We will just have to make sure that they don't. I will create a magical force field around this time frame. The Kings will not be able to come back." The Source waved a hand over the cauldron and it emptied itself and then was filled with water.

He then took several items off a nearby alter and began to drop them in. "Go and gather our forces. I want you all to be ready for when the time comes to surface."

The demon nodded. "Yes, my lord." He then shimmered out.

A boom a laughter escaped from the Source's mouth. "The Elders were fools to send the witches away. The practically gift wrapped the world for me. My conquest will start with New York... and then I will move on to take the rest of this meager planet."

-x-x-

"Sorry about my mom," Alexis said to Brian as they walked sat on a wooden park bench. "She never leaves me alone. She is always pestering me about things and never letting me have any fun. I think she has an overprotection issue, like Uncle Ian used to have. Aunt Kathy told me that my Uncle was always so protective of them, afraid they would get hurt." Alexis sighed. "Guess some of that rubbed off on my mom."

"Well don't worry about it," Brian told her. "She isn't here now..." He smiled.

"True."

"So we could..." Brian started to lean in a puckered his lips.

_My first kiss,_ Lexi thought. She closed her eyes and leaned in as well. But the next thing she knew Brian was screaming. Her eyes flew open to see Brian backing away from her. "Brian? What is it?" Something dripped on her shoulder from above. "Is it starting to rain?" She looked up and a scream ripped through her body. A huge and monstrous demon stood over her, his mouth dripping with saliva.

The demon brought down its clawed arm and Alexis leaped out of the way just in time. "What is that thing!" Brian yelled.

"You don't want to know." As the demon turned to them Alexis quickly looked around for something to fight with.

A sharp looking stick sat near and she narrowed her eyes, calling on her power. The stick leapt from the ground and flew up at the evil creature, hitting it in the eye. It let out a roar and then pointed its hands at the two kids. Green lighting lashed from its finger tips.

"Look out!" Alexis tackled Brian to the ground and the attack flew over them and hit a tree, splitting it down the middle. "Mom! Mom, help!" Lexi kept screaming for help as the demon started towards her and Brian, baring its fangs.

-x-x-

Kathy turned the corner of the street to view the park. It appeared the same, but so did the attic when they first arrived in this time frame. As soon as she stepped onto the grass of the park, an overwhelming sense of panic and fear came over her. Ian and Katie saw her and walked over.

"Okay, so anything on your sensors?" Katie asked hurriedly with worry.

"I think so," Kath said, turning to the strongest tug. It was as though a string had attached to her and was guiding her to whatever was there.

"Follow me," Kathy said, walking in the direction of the feel. Ian and Katie shrugged and followed along. As they passed by people, Kath could sense their moods, feelings, and emotions. It was though she knew everyone there, but had forgotten his or her faces.

Suddenly the park grew quiet and less dense in people, but Kathy could feel the demon close by. Then from the quietness came a screaming voice. The three siblings looked over to where it came from to see Lexi and Brian huddled beneath a tree while a huge demon towered threateningly above them.

"Ian, can you blow him up?" Kathy asked.

"Not without taking Lexi and Brian with him. Not to mention half the park."

"Well we have to do something!" Katie yelled. "My daughter is about to be killed. I can't let that happen."

Ian nodded. "Okay, you two get the kids out of here. Orb them back to the manor. I will hold off this guy and then meet you back home. Alright?"

The sisters nodded and then Kathy took Katie by the arm and then ran towards the two scared children. As the four of them began to orb out, Kathy glanced up to see Ian give a brutal kick to the demon's chest. They then disappeared from view.

The demon fell to the dirt and Ian took up a fighting stance. "I may be twelve years older, but I bet I can still kick some ass." His foe got to his feet and came towards Ian. He slashed at Ian with his claws, but the male witch dove and rolled, coming back up to his feet quickly. But when he turned the demon grabbed him by the throat and threw him into the tree.

Ian slid to the ground and looked up to see the venomous beast standing not five feet away.

"Yum," it said. "Sand-witches are always my favorite." A rolling laugh escaped from his mouth.

"Uh huh. Well demons with bad puns are always my favorite to vanquish!" Ian balled his fists and then threw them open, releasing his power.

The demon didn't even have a chance to scream. He exploded and sent green goo all over the place, including all over Ian. "Oh... yuck. What is with the gooey demons today?" He then got up, rubbed his back, which ached with much pain, and made his way back to the car.

-x-x-

Katie sighed again as Brain kept freaking out. "Lexi, can't you do anything about your boyfriend?" she asked.

"I'm trying!" She paused. "_And he's not my boyfriend!" _Katie and Kathy hid a grin as Alexis took Brian by the shoulders and steered him into the living room.

"Don't give him too much info," Katie whispered on their way out of the kitchen. Lexi nodded. She turned to Kath. "Well? Penny for your thoughts?"

"Well it's getting late. I really want to get back to our time period and just sit back until this all happens," Kath sighed.

"And how to you propose we do that?" Katie asked.

"Do you really think I know?" Kath asked. Just then Lexi walked in.

"Hey, Aunt Kathy, do you think you could erase his memory or something? He's totally freaking out in there," Lexi said.

"Um, no. I don't think that's possible or the wisest choice, dear. Just tell him to go home, take some Tylenol and drink plenty of fluids."

"Drink plenty of fluids?" Lexi asked with a confused look.

Kath shrugged. "Everyone should drink plenty of fluids," Kathy said as Ian walked in soaked in a mass of goo. "Oh really Ian, you should try and keep yourself clean when killing demons."

"It's not as easy as it sounds," Ian said in monotone. "I'm going to wash up and then I think we should…" He glanced at Lexi. "I think we should talk about some things over dinner."

"Aw, Ian got some demon goo on his pretty clothes," Katie said in her baby voice, grinning. Ian glared while Lexi walked out of the kitchen while muttering about unhelpful aunts and lunatic mothers. "Well at least she has a sane uncle," she said lightly. She saw that Ian was now sitting at the table, staring at the hard surface. "Or not." Ian shook whatever seemed to have dazed him, and went upstairs into the bathroom. There was a crashing noise that made the household look upstairs.

"I'm alright! I'm oookay…" Ian called from the bathroom.

"New shower," Katie whispered behind her hand to Kathy. Kath nodded.

The two sisters stood silent, and Kath looked up to see Katie staring into the living room at Lexi. It was just for a short moment, but Katie's motherly love had shone, and it made her look so mature, a characteristic that Kathy sometimes doubted her sister had.

_Maybe the age is getting to her head..._ Kath thought. A piercing cry came from upstairs, making them both jump.

"That's my cue, I guess," Kathy said, walking upstairs. She popped her head in the doorway to her room, still a little apprehensive about entering.

"I promise he won't bite," came Tobias's voice from behind her, making her jump. "Well, not too hard, he's still teething." Kath had to smile at that; he maybe in the future, but his sense of humor was still sharp. Tobias walked around her and picked up the crying boy, cradling the chubby mass in his arms.

"Tobias... can I ask you something?" Kath said, leaning on the doorframe. Tobias looked up from the baby.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Well... I don't rightly know," Kathy said, twisting her face in discomforted confusion. "I don't—" She stopped mid-sentence.

She couldn't possibly tell him that she was from the past. All three Kings would be in the Psycho ward before she finished. "I've had a long day, and I think I just totally forgot about my life," she said, burying her head into her hands. Tobias put the now calm baby back into his crib and walked over to her, laying a hand on her shoulder.

Warmth filled her as he made contact with her. Comforting warmth, like a warm blanket and fire on a cold Christmas night.

"What's wrong, Kat? It's like you're out of place here… is your telepathy giving you headaches again? Memory lapses?" Tobias asked. Kath noted these symptoms, and prayed silently for her future self. It was going to be a bumpy ride.

"What's his name?" Kathy asked quietly, looking up at the crib. Tears welled up in Tobias's eyes.

"James," Tobias whispered, as a lone tear fell down his cheek. "It's getting worse, again. You've never forgotten names before, or how to hang up the phone."

"No! I'm fine, but if you only knew about the milk, and the time—" She stopped. _That was close. Too close._

"Milk and time?" Tobias asked, laughing. "You had me scared there for a second, don't do those kinds of things to me," he said shaking his head. Ian walked out of his room all cleaned up.

"I thought you were in the shower," Kathy said from her doorframe.

"I was. Quick shower," Ian said, slightly stunned from the shower still. As he walked down the hallway, he stopped in front of her room and saw Tobias's face.

"Is everything okay here?" Ian asked, his eyes flashing between the two.

"Yeah, great," Kath said with enthusiasm implanted into her words. "Now how's about that dinner?"

"Um," Ian said. "Kath, I actually wanted to speak with you for a second." He glanced at Tobias. "Alone."

"I can take a hint," Tobias said. "I'll be downstairs if you need me, okay?" he added, gently squeezing Kath's arm. She smiled and nodded as he walked off. Kathy and Ian walked into her room. Ian closed the door behind him.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I think we should start finding a way to get back home. Back in 2003," Ian said. "I know that you are excited about having these kids... but this isn't our time. And we have to think of what may be happening with us not there?"

Kath stepped over to the crib to see James sleeping. "Ian, it feels so odd. Part of me wants to go back home, back to the old days, but part of me wants to stay here and not go through what may happen to get me to this day." She stroked James's soft cheek with her index finger. "I don't want to face the demons, face the dead innocents we lose, or face what may happen to us as we get to this advanced state in powers."

"But we're going to have to, even here," came Katie's voice from the door. Ian turned to find her leaning on the doorframe, one foot on the wall, staring at Kath and the baby. "We saw that this afternoon, trying to vanquish that demon that almost killed Alexis. It's something we can't get away from, even twelve years in the future. Demons, dead innocents, depressed feelings... these are the usual for our family. If we stay here, we stay in a world we have no idea about. Even our powers are bigger, and we can't control them. Believe me when I say I would rather stay here too. Yet we just can't."

Kath thought her sister's wisdom over. She tried to counter attack her statement, but there was no way; Katie was right. Kath stopped stroking James's face, and looked up. "Then let's get out of here."

-x-x-

The Source watched the three siblings head up to the attic of the manor in the future through a magical window that hovered in the air. "They are getting ready to return. I must be prepared." He turned and waved his hand. A moment later his demon servant shimmered in.

"You rang?"

"Yes. Are my soldiers ready?" The demon nodded. "Good. Send a few out to kill a few witches and start the ball rolling. But I want to make sure that the Kings cannot return before we go all out." The Source strode over to his cauldron and stirred it's contents. "Soon I will be able to create the force field to keep those witches out of this time... forever."

-x-x-

Katie entered the attic last and locked the door behind her. She didn't want any interruptions, since she wasn't quite sure if someone came in, Kath or her wouldn't go through with this.

"Is there a spell in there?" she asked, coming over to join her siblings around the Book.

Ian opened the Book Of Shadows and quickly paged through it. "Time... time... Oh, here is something." Ian read the page and then nodded. "I think this will work." He showed his sisters the page and then said, "Now... let's get in a circle." The three stood in a circle around the pedestal that the Book sat on and joined hands. "Ready?" Ian asked.

Kathy and Katie nodded and they began the spell. "Spirits of Air, Land, Fire, and Sea, we call on you with the Power of Three. Send us back with this rhyme, Send us back to our time."

A breeze went through the room and ruffled Katie's hair. "It's working. Let's keep going."

"Spirits of Air, Land, Fire, and Sea, we call on you with the Power Of Three. Send us back with this rhyme, send us back to our time." The wind picked up even more and the siblings continued to chant.

-x-x-

Back in the Underworld of the present time, the Source was chanting his own spell. But he was using all his strength to keep Ian, Katie, and Kathy out, and he was weakening. "My force field must keep them out of this time. It has to!"

-x-x-

"Spirits of Air, Land, Fire, and Sea, we call on you with the Power Of Three. Send us back with this rhyme, send us back to our time." There was a sudden bright flash that lit up the room and the three were pulled through a large portal. They were still holding each other's hands and concentrating on staying conscious.

Ian saw the attic of the manor from 2003 at the end of the portal's tunnel. They were getting closer and closer. But just when they were about to reach it a side portal opened and they were whipped into that one. After that, everything went black...

-x-x-

The Source fell to the cracked ground and drew in deep breaths. The witches magic had been strong. Almost too strong. But he had kept them out. The Source stood up and looked into his magical window. He saw Ian, Katie, and Kathy laying in a forest. All of them were unconscious. "Where are they?"

He pointed his finger at the window and a date appeared in shimmering numbers. "They are in the past. In the year 1600." The Source let out a defiant laugh. "The magic of that time was weak. They will not be strong enough to return. And I will be able to rule this time with no more interference."

The demon servant appeared at that moment. "My lord. We have taken out two witches so far. Yet we could do so much more if you allow us to unleash our full forces."

The Source nodded. "I have dealt with the witches." He turned to the servant. "You may attack. Kill as many as you can." He glanced at the window, where the siblings were still laying unconscious in the dry leaves. "There will be no one to stop us now."


	41. Intertwined Time

A/N: Gasp! I never really thought it would work! As I sit here writing this, and listening to Paul Revere and the Raiders, I'm gaping at the reviews. Thank you so much for making me feel loved again.

**Hazzah – Yay, I wondered where you went to -wink- I remember when we started this too. I had to be thirteen. Now I'm sixteen! It's amazing at how much work this thing needs. And how little planning we did for this. I'm cursing ourselves for our lack of planning.**

**Jenn – Ask and you shall receive.**

**Unique – This chapter adds a bit more about Ian's future. Then again, Ian's a mystery in himself, so don't be saddened by the lack of information. It's just that the sisters' futures are much more physical/visual/noticeable than his.**

That, and this future will never happen. Ever. Sorry. It brings up bad memories about both Mortality Bites and whatever episode had the giant Phoebe-vision, doesn't it?

And with this, I bid you happy (belated) holidays. Before I leave, have a random quote that AK made up:

(Tobias' birthday)  
Toby: Don't you want to say something SPECIAL to me today?  
Kath: ...I love you?  
Toby: No... something even MORE special.  
Kath: ...Get back to work or you're fired?

* * *

**  
2.16: Intertwined Time**

Kath slowly opened her eyes, her head throbbing. "This just isn't the best day ever, is it now?" she muttered, looking up at sky and treetops. She sat up and looked at her unconscious brother and sister. "Hey guys... I don't think this is our attic for some, I dunno, rather apparent reason." Kathy stood up as Katie and Ian stirred and gained their bearings. Kath knocked on a nearby tree. "Yeah, definitely _not_ our attic."

Katie slowly sat up and looked around. "What gave you that idea?" she asked under her breath. When she realized that there was nothing but trees for miles, she turned and looked at Ian. "We went back in time! ..._Again_!"

Ian rubbed his eyes and then looked around as well. "Oh no... last time we were almost killed!" The two stood up and Kathy came back over to them. "How did this happen?" Ian asked. "We said the spell... it was working. I could see the attic from our time at the end of the tunnel. But then..." He shook his head. "Something went wrong."

"Hey, uh, can we still have our powers this time?" At the confused look on Kathy's face, she added, "Last time we went back in time, we had to channel 'old magic' or something. Didn't have powers." She tried moving a stick. "Damn, didn't work. So, Ian, you're oldest, where we heading?"

"I suggest—"

"Witch!" The three turned towards the cry. Three men in olden time clothes stood there. One was pointing at them. "Look at their clothes. They must be witches!"

"Uh oh..." Ian exclaimed. The men started running towards them. "Oh, tapping! Tapping!" Ian yelled, hitting Katie's arm.

"I don't remember how!"

And they were too late. The men were right there. One held a pitch fork and he swung it at Kathy. She grabbed it and wrenched it out of his hands and then hit him over the head with the handle. He dropped to the ground. Ian was tackled by one, but he flipped the man over onto his back and quickly got to his feet. "We have to get out of here!"

"That's right Mr. Guy-From-The-Past! Smack me with a pitchfork, will ya?" Kathy said. Katie grabbed her arm, making her drop the pitchfork.

"Come on, brag later!" Katie said, dragging her while following Ian's lead. Just then, the last man came from nowhere and tackled Katie from the side.

"Katie!" Ian yelled, stopping and turning back. But Katie was just fine on her own. She uppercut his chin with the bottom of her palm, making him fall off of her. She rolled over and just as she was going to get up again, he grabbed her ankle, making her fall again.

"I didn't really want to do this but—" Katie punched him hard with her right hand, and the last man reeled into a tree, and feel to the ground still. "Thanks for the help guys!" Katie yelled, running over to them.

"Yeah, sorry about that, just a little—"

"Stunned," Kath interrupted Ian. "But now what, where are we going? I don't suppose there's some 'Back-To-The-Future 'R' Us' stores around here?"

Katie stared again at Kath. "That's as insane as your whole evil milk idea. But maybe we should... hide or something until we figure out what to do?"

The other two nodded and they ran off deep into the woods. They found a tick cluster of trees and sat down, taking deep breaths. "Okay," Katie said, "So what year are we in?"

"Well they yelled Witch... he was right, but anyway, I am guessing late 1600's." Ian sighed. "Now the next question is, how are we going to get back?"

"Last time that demon had opened the portal... Ever wonder how _he_ had his powers, but we didn't? Maybe there's something behind that."

"Well demons can live for hundreds of years. He might have even been living in that time, so he would have had his powers."

"Why can demons live forever anyway? That's not fair."

"I know. Now we need to tap into those old powers. Kathy, this would be your first time. Just concentrate and feel the power of our witch line flow through you."

Kathy took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She heard the wind rustle and the sky rumble as Ian and Katie tapped into their ancestors' powers. Kath tried to focus, but she didn't feel anything happening.

"Come on, Kath. Just let it flow, don't think so much. It's just like your telepathy, just let it happen naturally," Ian said, seeing her struggle.

Kath focused harder and suddenly she felt her hands warm.

"By Jove, I think she's got it," Katie whispered. Kath opened her eyes to see small flames in each of her palms.

"I think we're ready then," Kath said, closing her hands and then opening them to reveal her normal hands. "Where to now? I can't sense anything without my telepathy."

"Well there must be other witches around here somewhere. They _are_ real," Ian said. "Maybe they can help us. But I have no idea where to begin to—"

"Excuse us," came a voice. All three siblings jumped. Out of the underbrush came five women.

"Who the hell are you?" Katie asked, her fingers twitching, ready to fight just incase.

"We are witches in the Coven of True Hill. We saw you work your magic. Are you witches too?"

Ian glanced at his sisters. "Finding witches... piece of cake." When the five women stared at him he said, "Yes, we are witches. From... the future."

"The future?" The one with long blonde hair had been the only one speaking. "You must be quite powerful to use time magic."

"Well we were trying to get home," Kathy put in. "But we were sent back here and now we don't know how to return home."

"Well we can help you. Please, come back to our meeting place."

But before any of them could move, they were ambushed by about ten men. Some held pitch forks. Others held flaming torches. Ian held up his hand and a burst of wind knocked two men to the ground.

One with a torch approached Kathy. She held up her hands to protect herself and the flames of the torch became a fiery whip and lashed at Kath's attacker. His clothes caught fire and he screamed and dropped to the ground, rolling in the dirt.

Three men ran at Katie. She blasted the ground in front of them with a lightning blast, knocking them back. But there were too many, and they were all closing in. The siblings and the olden time witches were surrounded. "I think we're in trouble," Ian whispered.

"Ya think!" Kathy hissed.

"Okay, orbing would be _very_ good right now..." Katie muttered, backing up until her back was touching Ian's and Kath's. She looked at the men to notice weird herbs hanging around their necks. "What are they doing, wearing those herbs?" she asked a nearby witch.

"They're fennel seeds and chamomile flowers. The chamomile protects them from direct lightning strikes—"

"Great."

"—And the fennel from curses and negative problems."

"I wish we had some of that right now," Kath piped up.

"Shut up, witch," a man snarled.

Katie and Ian both took a step forward. "Hey!" Two men pointed out their pitch forks at the siblings, and they subsided momentarily.

"So now what?" Kath mumbled beneath her breath as Katie and Ian stepped back. Just then, a large-bellied man stepped forward as the crowd of men made way for him. A witch with jet black hair whispered to them.

"That's the mayor, he's very cruel to witches," she said.

"Oooo, great," Katie said. The man stepped up to Ian and looked him up and down.

"You," the Mayor said with disgust. "A messenger was sent saying you were all witches. Now certainly my ears deceive me."

"I saw it with my own two eyes, sir," said one of the men with a pitchfork. "I saw them conjure up unholy magic and use it against us."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You have a witness, witches," the Mayor said.

"You believe him so quickly?" Kath asked swiftly.

"Are you saying he lies?" the Mayor asked. Kath hesitated for a minute, looking at her siblings for support with her mouth open. "Take them to the village prison. We'll decide their fates there."

-x-x-

They were taken to a village called Grunham and thrown into a dank, damp cell. The other witches were thrown into the cell next to them. "Oh, ew. This place smells like urine," Katie said, scrunching her nose.

"I think that is the least of our problems at this moment." Ian glanced around. "We need to get out of here and back to our own time. Who knows what we might be changing while we are here?"

"With us gone? Probably the whole east coast is going to smithereens right now," Katie said in a false bright tone, sitting down against the wall and pulling her knees up.

Kathy held herself tightly in defense and wrinkled her nose as she paced. "I would blame this all on the milk, but that's just ridiculous," she commented, trying to lighten the grim mood.

"Oh, like the Back-To-The-Future 'R' Us store wasn't?" Katie said, shaking her head. Just then, the door opened and Katie stood up.

"The council has decided you eight witches' fates. You will be hanged," said the man as he flipped for keys.

"When?" one of the witches said next door.

"Now."

-x-x-

"Great, this is just great," Kathy said, her hands tied as she lead the way onto the stage. They all stood on designated marks carved onto the wood and ropes were released overhead.

"Yep, this sucks," Katie said as the hangman's noose was put around her neck.

"It's ironic really," Ian said, shaking his head. "We're going to die before we're even born. And that, oh, I'd say that will create quite a huge difference in our future."

"We don't have a future!" Katie said.

"We do if I have a say about it," Kath said, the sound of rope dropping behind her. Ian and Katie both looked instinctively at the sound's origin. "I've still got it," Kathy mumbled, rubbing her wrists.

"One witch! She's free!" a man in the crowd yelled. Kath threw up her hand and shot a small blast of fire across all the nooses, making them fall limp around all the witches' necks.

"Let's go back to the cottage!" one of the witches yelled as they all ran off the stage. The crowd became a mass of yelling and began to run towards them. Kath burned off Ian's wrist restraints.

"Ow! Watch it!" Ian said, recoiling from a small burn.

"Just blow them out of our way, and I'll heal you when we get back home," Kathy said as she followed him. Ian spread his arms apart and a path was cleared, leading out of the town and into the woods, the direction in which the olden witches were running towards.

They ran for what seemed forever, over hills, under huge tree roots that grew unruly in the now dense forest, but they kept running. After what seemed an eternity, a small cottage built under several uprooted tree roots came into view.

The olden witches bustled inside, leaving the door open only long enough to let the Kings in and then they quickly shut the door, and locked it several times. Kathy proceeded to burn off all of their wrist restraints. "I could really get used to this," Kath said, sitting down at the wooden table as an old witch appeared and poured everyone a cup of steaming liquid.

"Welcome, welcome," said the gray-haired woman as she set the pot down. "I assume you're witches also?"

"Yes we are," Ian said, looking doubtingly into his cup.

"They're from the future," the blonde witch from earlier said excitedly. "They need to use time magic to get back home."

"Oh, time magic... that's tricky magic you know. Hard to get right. One mistake and you'll end up—"

"In the late 1600's," Katie interrupted.

Kathy looked at her steaming cup and took a sip. "I didn't know they had coffee back then," she said before guzzling the whole cup. Ian gave a disgusted look and shook his head.

"I think a Power of Three spell should do the trick though," Ian said, taking an unwilling sip of the beverage.

"You think?" Katie asked before taking a sip herself. "Why didn't you 'think' this earlier?"

"Well we were being captured and all. Besides, I had to write it, and now, it's all up here," Ian said, tapping his head.

"Well don't leave us in suspense, Ian," Kathy said as the old woman poured her coffee. "Write it down and we'll get home already!"

"Okay." Ian took a piece of paper and a pen, dipping it in ink. "We will need some extra power. Good power spice is ginger. And that goes well with... apples I believe?" He glanced at the Elder witch and she nodded. "Good." He then began to write. After a few minutes, Ian stood up. "Alright, I need four apples, some ginger, and a knife."

He was handed the items and then he cut the apples in half, sprinkled some ginger on each one, and then pressed them back together. "Follow me." They all headed outside and Ian positioned the apples in a large circle, one at each of the directional points. He motioned for his sisters to come stand with him in the circle.

They did so, he showed them the spell, and they took each other's hands. "Okay, here we go."

"Father Time hear our plea, bend thy will to the Power of Three. Let us once again be in the year of 2003." The wind blew cold, but nothing happened.

"Maybe we don't have enough power," Kathy suggested.

"Well then where do we get more?" Ian asked.

"More apples and more ginger?" Katie replied, looking around in thought. "Maybe we need to... tap into more powers around here. Elements..." She paused, then said, "Okay, there's four directional points, right? North, east, south and west. But there's also four elements. Wind, fire, earth, and water. But we don't have water as one of our powers..."

"And we don't have an earth power either," Ian put in.

"Lightning. It connects with the ground."

"Right," Ian said, nodding. "But where are we going to get this water element?" He then lowered his voice. "I doubt any of these witches have that kind of power. I doubt they are strong enough."

"I'm not sure," Katie admitted. "I'm just the one that came up with the theory."

Kath groaned. "We're so close!" she began to pace, thinking about the proposed theory. "Just where exactly are we supposed to get a witch with water around here?" There was silence as everyone thought.

"There's a tale that a strong witch lives a far ways away," the old lady from earlier said. "It's told that she has control over water and fire."

"Odd combination, don't you think?" Katie muttered to her siblings.

"But it's a dangerous way to get there. Witch hunters, natural traps..."

"Well... if I can tap into fire, maybe I'm tapping into this witch's powers. And if so... maybe.. maybe I could tap into the water also," Kathy said, thinking hard, trying to make sense of all of this.

"Hey," Ian said. "That could work. What if... what if when we tap into these old powers, we are tapping into our... past life's powers. So then my past life would have the power of the wind." Ian nodded as he continued. "This could work. Kathy, try to use a water power."

Kathy hesitated, but after a short moment nodded. She closed her eyes and felt the pressure of the situation. Everything was relying on this one faint hope that she had this power, and the odds were unlikely. Kathy focused, and felt the fire warm her hands. She was angry with herself, but began to imagine the fire being cooled by water.

She imagined ocean waves, rainy days, anything that dealt with the element of water.

"Come on," Ian whispered as the flames in Kathy's hands flickered. "Come on..." The flames flickered more and more, and suddenly went out. There was a drip from nowhere that landed on his face. "What the?"

The sky began pouring rain and he looked up from the sky to the pools of water forming in Kathy's hands.

"The spell!" Katie yelled, taking Kath's wet hand and reaching for Ian's. The ring was formed and the sky rumbled angrily with thunder and lightning. The cold wind from earlier blew more briskly as the three said the spell again.

The apples that highlighted the cardinal directions were connected by a ring of fire, and the olden witches stepped back in astonishment.

"_Let us once again be in the year of 2003._"

There was an immense flash of light and the siblings were torn from that time. They held on tightly to each other's hands. They saw their time, and they also saw someone in a hooded cloak, chanting a spell. He was trying to keep them out. He looked weak, but his magic was holding. "We have to break through!" Ian yelled. The three of them closed their eyes and concentrated hard on their magical link.

Around them the times of past, present, and future began to twist and entangle. And after a few moments they became one.

_FLASH! _

Ian shot up into a sitting position as he came out of unconsciousness. They were back in the attic of the manor. He looked around and noticed that the center of the attic was as it should be, along with the Book. Everything near the window that looked down on the front yard looked several years older than what he knew the attic to be. And on the half of the attic leading down the stairs he could see objects of the futuristic sort. "Oh no. Katie, Kathy... we have a BIG problem here."

"Yeah, the problem of always hitting the floor hard when we time travel like that. I'm going to get a bad back by the time I'm forty." Katie paused. "Make that thirty-six." She stood up and looked around. "Did you mess up the spell again, Ian?"

"No! When we were in the tunnel I saw... someone. I don't know who. He was chanting some spell. I am sure he was trying to keep us out. That must have been what happened the first time. And now... well all the magic must have messed up time. Looks like all the time lines were... warped together."

"Well... let's see what the Book says," Katie said. "Maybe we can find out who that guy was and find a way to stop him."

Ian nodded. "Right." He started over towards the Book Of Shadows when Alexis came running into the attic.

"Mom, I am freaking out! My room is full of really old looking stuff and all my things are gone. And... why do you all look younger?"

"Uh, new kind of face lotion. Says it will take twelve years off," Ian said told his niece with a nervous smile.

"Yeah, don't look thirty-five now do I?" Kathy said with a snort.

Katie glared at her siblings. "Guys, I think it is time we told her. No more secrets."

"Tell me what?" Alexis asked, looking at her mother.

Katie went over to her daughter and then led her over to the couch, sitting them both down. "Okay, this may be a little hard to grasp... But I'm not exactly your mom."

"What!"

"Okay, maybe that was the wrong way to say it. What I mean is... I'm not your mom _yet_. See, I'm from the past. Twelve years in the past, specifically. We were sent into the future by... We don't know what. And then when we tried to get back we accidentally went too far back... And then when we tried again... This happened. The time lines have converged somehow. That's why your room looks so old, for you at least. Because that room is in the past section. How far in the past... I don't know."

Alexis nodded slowly. "Well... it makes sense now. No wonder you guys were acting so weird." She looked at Kathy and smiled. "And no wonder Aunt Kathy went all crazy about being thirty-five... Except I shouldn't be surprised, since she usually does that anyway."

Kathy narrowed her eyes. "You must be the new evil one in the family," she teased.

Before anything else could be said another person entered the attic: Katie from the future. "Alexis, who are you—" She then spotted Katie sitting next to Alexis. "Get away from my daughter!" Future Katie then swung her arm and Katie was launched across the attic where she crashed down on a table on the other side.

"Mom, no!" Alexis yelled. "You don't understand!"

"Lexi, get out of here. Ian! Kathy!" A moment later the Ian and Kathy of the future came running in. "Ian, they're demons. Blow them up!"

"No!" Alexis ran up and pulled down her uncle's hands before he could release his power. "They're not demons. They are you guys; from the past."

Future Kathy narrowed her eyes, the same way Kathy had done just a few minutes before. "Lexi, are you sure? Because we have gone up against demons before that can shape shift into us."

"She's telling the truth," Ian said, helping his sister up from the debris of the table. "Try freezing us. You won't be able to because we're good witches. We're you."

Future Katie raised her hands and tried to freeze the Present King siblings; nothing happened. "Okay, maybe you're right. But you could just be immune to my power. That's happened before."

"I'll see if they are telling the truth," Future Kathy said. A look of great concentration came over her face. A few moments later she nodded. "Lexi was right. They are telling the truth. They're us from the past."

"How did this happen?" Future Ian asked.

Katie sighed. "I knew I would have to explain this again."

-x-x-

Twenty minutes later they had gathered everyone in the attic; except the young children, whom Alexis was looking after. Nate was there as well and Katie had made Ian explain to him what was going on instead of her having to do it once again.

"Okay," Future Katie said. "You said that you saw someone when you were in the... time tunnel."

Ian nodded. "That's right."

"And you don't know who it was?"

Ian shook his head. "Nope. But I intend to find out." He then went over and opened the Book Of Shadows. "Hmm. This thing seems to have gotten bigger in the last twelve years..."

"Well duh," Future Ian said with a laugh.

As Ian paged through the BOS, Kathy sat in a chair and stared at her future self. _I can't believe I'm going to look that old,_ she thought.

Future Kathy whipped her head around. "Hey! I heard that."

Kathy put on an innocent smile. "Sorry."

"Hey, I think I found him!" Ian called and everyone gathered around. "He's called... the Source."

Future Katie frowned. "No, that can't be possible."

"Why not?" Katie asked her future self.

"Because he's dead."

"Not in our time," Kathy said.

"Oh, right," Katie said. "Go on."

"Says here that he is the Source of all evil..." Ian said.

"Hence the name," Future Ian added.

Katie stood there, thinking. "Hey, Ian," she said after a moment. "Didn't we read up on this guy before? Around the time we first got our powers?"

"Oh right... So this is the guy who has been after us for almost two years? Why didn't he ever show himself?"

"Because the Source wasn't— isn't like that," Future Kathy said. "He sits in his cavern and makes his plans and sends demons off to kill people for him. Rarely does he go out and do it himself."

"So he's the one who has sent all those demons after us, huh?" Katie said. "Couldn't he just send us a fruit basket?"

"He did," Kathy said. "A fruit basket of death. Which was probably related to—"

"Don't get started up on the evil milk thing again, Kath," Ian said to his youngest sister. "We need to concentrate on fixing this whole situation."

Future Ian came over to stand next to Ian and they glanced at one another for a moment, both obviously weirded out by the situation. Then Future Ian said, "Here, let me see that. I'm more familiar with this version of the Book." Future Ian then began to page through it. "Now let's see what we can find on time..."

-x-x-

The Source stood in his cavern, facing his past self. "Something has definitely gone wrong."

"Obviously," Past Source said. "I know that you are me from the future... but what did you do? I can sense that the whole world is out of balance. Past, Present, and Future have been entwined. This needs to be fixed."

The Source nodded. "Maybe... Or maybe we can use this to our advantage."

"What do you mean?"

"Well as you can see, our future self is not here. The future section of this cavern looks as though it has not been used in several years. I presume that at some point between my time and that one... I—we were killed; vanquished."

"You can't be sure of this."

"No... But I have a strong feeling that I am right. Now, just before all this happened I was gathering a large army of demons to take over the world. Now what would happen if I sent that army into the past section of the world to kill off my enemies before they grew strong enough to fight. Like those King witches. ... How many years in the past is your section?"

"I believe it's twelve years in the past from what I can sense."

"So they would be mere teenagers." The Source smiled. "This could be very interesting..."

The Past Source sighed. "Who are the King witches that you are speaking of?" he asked.

"Three powerful siblings that have been a thorn in my side for the past two years. And now I finally have the chance to take them out. Maybe by destroying the witches we can prevent our future demise."

The Past Source nodded. "Perhaps. But once that is finished we must reset the time line. Because if it stays like this... all of time could be destroyed."

-x-x-

Future Ian sighed and closed the Book Of Shadows. "Well there is nothing in here. And we should have known that because nothing like this has ever happened before."

"Well maybe there is some kind of spell we can do," Future Kathy suggested.

"Is there a spell powerful enough to set everything right?" Future Nate asked. He had been pretty much quiet since they had all gathered in the attic and just now begun to speak up. "I mean, I have seen you guys cast so many spells and I have seen the power of them. But this just seems... huge. And what happens if something goes wrong? You could destroy the world."

Future Ian sighed once more and started to pace. "Well we have to do something or else—" Just as he stepped into the section of the attic that was in the past Future Ian gave a sharp intake of breath and his eyes shot closed. After just a second he opened them again and whispered, "Uh oh."

"Oh, I definitely know that look," Ian said. "You just had a premonition and I'm guessing it wasn't good."

"You would be right about that. It looks like the Sources of your present and the past are working together. And they have created an army of demons to send into the past section of the world and kill off some of their enemies when they are younger. Including us."

"They are going to try and kill our past selves?" Katie asked. "Well how old are we in that time? ...Come to think of it, how far in the past is the past section?"

"From what I saw it looked liked we were teenagers. By the looks of it I think it would be... twelve years in the past for you," Future Ian said. Then he added, "It looks like everything is set at the twelve year mark."

"Which means I would be fourteen," Ian said.

"Twelve for me," Katie said. "Ironic, huh?"

"And I would be eleven!" Kathy yelled, ignoring Katie. "This is just great. Myself in the past is too young to fight and myself in the future is too old."

"Hey, I am _not_ old," Future Kathy said.

"You're thirty-five," Kathy said. "I call that old."

"Well... Ian's thirty-eight! He's older than all of us!"

"Hey!" Future Ian yelled, glaring at his sister.

"Okay, enough!" Ian himself yelled. His face got serious, meaning he had gone into leader mode. "Now we have a crisis on our hands that we have to deal with or we are dead. We have to focus, alright?" All the others nodded. "Okay then. First we need to figure out where the time splits are. Meaning where the future, present, and past sections are located in the city. I assume you guys still have a map?"

Future Katie nodded and with a flick of her finger the long drawer from a desk across the room opened and a large laminated map came flying out to land on one of the tables. "What do you have in mind?"

"A spell," Ian said, going over to the map. He thought for a moment and then said, "Past, Present, Future three, show us where the time lines be. Where they twist and where they bend, show us where they start and end." The map began to glow three different colors in three different sections, flashing the title of their time for just a moment and then fading away. Moments later the glowing stopped and it looked as though the map had been dyed three different colors. Past was green, Present was blue, and Future was red.

"Hey, look at that," Kathy said. "All the sections converge in one spot; the manor."

"Well, that's a shock," Katie and Future Katie said at the same time in the same sarcastic manner. They looked at each other for a moment and then both burst out laughing.

"Okay," Ian said. "We are going to have to go find our past selves and protect them. But first we should try and head of that demon army. Do as much damage as we can." He turned to his future self. "Do you know where they will be crossing the time line?"

"They are going to cross over in several places. But I know where the biggest group will be crossing over. And that's probably our best bet."

"Then let's do it." Ian then led the way down the stairs.

But when they got down to the second floor Katie stopped Ian. "Ian, I was wondering if... I could stay here. With Nate and the kids."

Ian frowned. "But Kate, we're going to need you out there. It's a demon army. We'll need your strength."

Katie shook her head. "You don't need me for this. My future self will be there and her powers are a lot stronger than mine. And you don't have to worry about the whole Power of Three thing because... you'll have the Power of Five." Katie sighed and looked into her brother's eyes. "Please, Ian. I need to stay."

Ian looked back and then nodded. "Okay then. You hold down the fort with Nate and the kids. And if we really need you we'll just call and you can orb in and save the day."

Katie smiled. "Thanks." The two then walked down to the foyer to join the others. "Okay, slight change in plans," she said. "I'll be staying here with Nate and the kids. Keep the place safe and all."

Future Katie eyed her past self for a moment and then nodded. "Okay," she said, slipping on her jacket. "Just... be careful." She said this while looking at Nate. "And if any of the kids get hurt I will beat you both to death with a shovel."

Katie raised her eyebrows. "You realize that if you killed me then you would kill yourself, right?"

Future Katie stood there staring at Katie for a moment, then turned to walk towards the front door, muttering something about "stupid time travel."

Just before she got to the door it opened and two older people came in, one male and one female. The female was in the middle of speaking. "I don't know how this has happened, but something is definitely wrong. I am sure I saw a flying car on our way home and—" She stopped talking when she noticed all the people in the foyer. Without another word the woman whipped her arm at Future Katie and sent flying back where she landed on her back next to Katie.

Katie helped her future self to her feet, but got in a snide comment by whispering, "Now you know how it feels."

"Who are you people?" the older woman yelled. "And what are you doing in my house!"

Ian had been staring hard at the woman's face. Now he smiled. "Grandma!" he exclaimed. "Wow, you look so much younger." He then looked at the man. "You too, Grandpa."

The older man squinted at Ian and then smiled as well. "Ian, is that you? But... how did you get so old? And didn't we just drop you off at school? ...And why are there two of each of you?"

Ian glanced around at the others and sighed. "Looks like we have to explain this once more."

-x-x-

After everything had been quickly explained once again they had split off into two groups; Katie, Nate, and the grandparents had stayed back at the manor to watch the children and Future Ian, Future Katie, Future Kathy, Ian, and Kathy had left to fight the demonic army. They had taken two cars; Future Ian and Ian in one and the other four in the other.

Ian sighed as he sat there staring out the window while his future self drove the car. "So... I kind of noticed that we aren't married." He stopped and thought for a moment. "Okay, that sounds weird. But you know what I mean."

Future Ian nodded. "You're right. At this time in my life I'm not married."

"I guess that means that Samantha and I don't stay together."

"Nope."

"I thought so. I mean, she's nice and all... But we don't really click. And she always leaves at just a moments notice. I never know when she is in town." Ian glanced over at Future Ian. "Is that why we break up? Or is it something else?"

"I can't tell you that."

Ian sighed again. "I wonder a lot of the time... Why is it that I can't seem to settle down? Katie and Kathy have done it. Sure, Katie had problems with men for quite awhile, but once Nate moved to New York she stuck with him. Which is obvious since she is still with him in your time. But what about me? I haven't really been with anyone since Allison. No one I really care about, anyway. I think she was the only one I really loved."

Future Ian just nodded.

"Do we ever settle down with anyone? At least for awhile? Because I have wondered if all this magic and demon fighting is turning my heart cold. Is there any relationship that I can look forward to in the next twelve years?"

Future Ian suddenly whipped his head towards Ian, a hard look in his eyes. "Don't you get it? I can't tell you anything. Nothing, okay? If I do then we could mess up time. You should know that."

"I do. Still... I just wonder..." Ian sighed one last time and then stared out the window again.

-x-x-

Katie put her head around the door frame and looked into her future daughter's room. Everyone else was there, playing with the kids. Katie smiled as she watched the scene. It was all so beautiful. She wished that someday she would be able to have something like it.

Nate glanced up from where he was and saw Katie standing there. "Hey," he said. "What's up?"

"Um... Can I just talk to you for a few minutes?" she asked.

Nate nodded and got up, following Katie out into the hall. "Should we go downstairs to the conservatory?"

"Sure." The two started down the stairway, walking in silence. Katie finally broke it as they got down to the main floor. "Nate, what I wanted to talk to you about was... What happened?"

Nate looked at Katie and frowned as they entered the conservatory and sat down. "What do you mean?"

Katie sighed. "I mean... What happened twelve years ago? I mean, the last time I saw you... the you from my time... you fled the manor because you were afraid of me."

Nate shook his head. "I wasn't afraid of you. I was just... completely shocked. I didn't understand what was going on. So I just needed some time to figure things out."

"So why did you decide to come back to me?"

"Because I realized that you were still the person I loved. I looked past the demons and the magic and I saw you."

Katie smiled. "So we get married, huh?"

Nate laughed. "Yeah, we get married. And obviously... we have a beautiful little girl."

"Man, I just can't wait to get to this time. Everything just seems so wonderful."

"Well, not everything is. There are still demons and other stuff to deal with, but we handle it. And having children and having you... yeah, it's wonderful."

"Thank you." Katie felt a strong urge to kiss him, but she couldn't. This wasn't her Nate, it was Future Katie's. And even though it wouldn't really be cheating or anything, it still wouldn't feel right. But she could still do something else; she leaned over and embraced Nate, hugging him for a long moment. "So," she said, wiping a tear from her eye as she pulled back. "You want to make some coffee or something?" Nate nodded and the two got up and headed towards the kitchen.

-x-x-

The two cars pulled over next to a place where half of it was a small field and half of it was a construction site and the Kings of the present and the future piled out. "Where are they?" Kathy asked.

"Well," Future Ian said, "According to my vision they should be here right about..." A large group of demons—there were at least twenty of them—shimmered in at that moment. "...Now."

"You witches think you can stop us?" one demon said. "Think again." He threw a fireball at Future Katie who froze it and then sent it back at the demon, vanquishing him.

The battle then broke out, all the Kings fighting side by side, using their martial arts skills, powers, whatever they had to take the demons down. Ian was flung back by a demon where he crashed into a brick wall that was only halfway there. Five demons surrounded Ian and were about to kill him when they all suddenly exploded, revealing Future Ian standing there with his hands raised.

"You okay?" he asked.

Ian nodded and got up. "Thanks." The two then ran back into the battle.

Over in the past section that was still a field, Kathy and Future Kathy were fighting. Kathy was sending psychic beams from her hands, knocking demons back, and also using a few of the martial arts moves that Ian had been teaching her.

Future Kathy was doing much better. Her psychic beams were bigger and stronger. And so were her other powers. When one of the demons came at her she concentrated on him and he suddenly turned around and started launching energy balls at his fellow demons, destroying some of them. He only stopped when another demon vanquished him with an energy ball of his own.

"Wow," Kathy said. "What did you just do?"

"I used my telepathy to control his mind."

"I can do that?"

Future Kathy smiled. "Someday." She then turned and blasted a group of demons down with a psychic beam.

The battle continued for several minutes until all the demons were destroyed; along with most of the construction site. "Well," Future Katie said, wiping some hair out of her face, "That was... fun."

"Yeah," Kathy said, nursing a wound. "Loads of fun."

"Here, let me get that." Future Kathy put her hand over Kathy's wound and healed it. "There you go."

"Heh. Being healed by myself. ...Weird, very weird."

Ian nodded. "Now let's get back to the manor and try to come up with a—"

"Ian?"

Ian turned as he heard the familiar voice to see Samantha standing there. "Samantha... What are you doing here?" He glanced at his Future self who stepped behind a steam shovel, hiding himself.

"Oh Ian, I'm so scared. Everything is strange and different." She started towards him and then let out a scream when she suddenly went up in flames. A demon had been standing behind her and was now laughing.

"No!" Ian yelled. He shot out his hands and the demon exploded. Ian looked down at Samantha's ashes, which were all that was left of her. "She didn't even know what was happening," he whispered, tears stinging his eyes.

Future Ian came and put a hand on Ian's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said. His eyes were wet as well. "My Samantha was killed by a demon too. Just not like this..."

"We have to fix this world," Ian said, wiping his eyes. "Now. We can't let anyone else die because of this. Now let's get home."

-x-x-

Katie heard the slam of the front door and went out to the foyer. The others had returned, none seeming worse for wear. Except Ian; he had a mix of anger and sadness on his face.

"Ian," Katie said, "what's wrong?"

"They killed Samantha," Ian whispered. "The bastards killed her!" A potted plant on the center table exploded, sending dirt everywhere.

"Okay, Ian, calm down." Katie went over and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Now, think, was it the Samantha from our time or the future?"

"Our time," Ian said. "She didn't look any older."

Katie bowed her head and sighed. She had hoped it had been the Samantha of the future, for if it had been then she would still be alive once they fixed all this. But it wasn't. Samantha would stay dead. "Oh, Ian, I'm so sorry."

"Yeah," Ian said. He then started up the stairway. "Come on," he said. "We have to fix this."

They all headed up to the attic, stopping on the second floor to get the rest of the group. Once there they all looked at one another, none of them really having any idea of what to do.

"We have to act fast," Future Katie said. "Our past selves are still in danger."

Kathy blinked. "Our past selves... that's it!" Everyone looked at her, wondering what she was talking about. "The key to getting out of here is to get our younger selves here."

Future Ian frowned. "You mean by having us all in the same place will reverse the time... warp... thing?"

Kathy shook her head. "No, not just having them here. A spell."

Future Kathy nodded, beginning to understand. "Right, a spell. If we, meaning all three of us from each time, cast a Power of Three spell... it might be enough to set time right."

"Exactly," Kathy said. "How did you know?"

Future Kathy shrugged. "We are one and the same... kind of."

"Okay," Ian said. "That could work. A Power of... Nine spell should be much stronger than a regular Power of Three spell."

"Alright," Future Katie said. "Where do we find our younger selves?"

"Well Katie and Ian should be at school where we dropped them off," the Grandma said. "Oh, I hope that the school is in the past section. Otherwise everything will be so different."

Katie looked over at the map where they had mapped out the sections. "Yep. It's in the past. But... what about Kathy? Where is she?"

"I was home schooled for awhile when my powers first started showing up," Kathy said. "And that was around that time. So I should be at home." She went over to the map and looked for her parent's old apartment on it. She bit her lip as she held back some pain, remembering their deaths that happened not too long ago. "It's in the past section as well. But with them dead in our time... I wonder if there are other people living there... and wondering why there are other people in their house and all their stuff is gone."

Katie nodded. "Oh, let's hope not. Anyways, Grandma and Grandpa should go get Ian and myself... which sounds _so_ weird. And Kathy and I can go get... herself. Okay? Okay. Let's do this." She then grabbed her sister's hand and orbed them out while their grandparents went down the stairs and out to their car.

-x-x-

Katie and Kathy orbed in right in front of Kathy's parent's door. "You okay?" Katie asked, glancing at her sister.

Kathy nodded. "Yeah. Fine. Right as rain."

"...You realize whenever anyone says that they are obviously lying?"

"Yes." Kathy then rapped on the door before Katie could say anything else.

A moment later it was opened by a young girl. "Who are you?" she asked.

Katie grinned. "Oh, Kathy, you were so cute!"

The girl stared at them for a second and then yelled, "Mom!"

"Great," Kathy whispered. "Now look what you did." But Kathy went silent as her Mom arrived at the door. She looked so young to Kathy, so full of life. Not the corpse burned away by acid that she was in present day.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Um..." Katie glanced at Kathy and then back at Kathy's mom. "We actually need the help of little Kathy here."

"What?"

Katie shot out her hand and the woman froze.

"Katie!" Kathy yelled. "What are you doing!"

"Well what was I supposed to say? 'Hi, we need to take your daughter so we can cast a spell to reset time'? Yeah, I don't think so. Anyways, by the time we are done she won't realize anything had happened because it should all be set back the way it was."

Little Kathy looked as if she was about to scream, but Kathy put her hand over Past Kathy's mouth. "Okay, fine. Let's just get out of here."

Katie nodded and took hold of both of the Kathys and orbed them back to the manor.

-x-x-

Later, they were all back in the attic. Past Ian sat in a chair looking bored, Past Katie was staring at all the doubles in the room, and Past Kathy was screaming her head off about wanting to go home.

"Look," Kathy said to her younger self, "You want to go home, right? Well all you have to do is say a little poem with us and then you can go home."

"...That's all?"

Kathy nodded. "That's all."

"Okay. But I better get some ice cream out of this!"

Katie frowned. "Man, Kath, you were a little brat."

"Oh shush," Kathy said. "Ian, is the spell ready?"

"Just about." Ian finished writing the spell and then stood up. "Help me make copies?" Kathy and Katie went over and together they copied the spell so there was enough for everyone. "Okay, now we all get in our separate sections and hold hands..." The all got into their own sections, the Ian's in the middle, and the Katie's and Kathy's on either side, and they all held hands, making one large circle of nine. "Now... we say the spell." He glanced at their grandparents and said, "Don't worry about having to recast the binding spell on us. Everything should reset to where we first went through time." He then nodded and everyone began to speak.

"As Power of Three becomes the Power of Nine, we send together this burning sign. Intertwined magic's shift and bend, with these words the time line mends. From the end and back to before, back to our own times do we all soar."

The nine of them began to glow and in the center of their circle opened a portal, in which all of them were sucked into. For a few moments they stayed together in the tunnel of time, but then each split off into their own tunnel. Ian, Katie, and Kathy held onto one another's hands, trying to stay conscious. And then...

**FLASH! **

Ian, Katie, and Kathy blasted out of the portal that had appeared in their attic and landed hard on the floor. "Man, time travel hurts," Katie muttered.

"Let's just hope we are in the right time," Kathy said. She got up and ran down the stairs, Ian and Katie following her to the kitchen. "Yep," Kathy said, looking into the waste basket. "This is the right one. The evil milk is right where I put it."

Ian looked at his watch. "And we are back at where we started. It's the same time we left."

"Like it never happened," Katie said. The doorbell suddenly rang and Katie headed for the door. "I'll get it!" she called over her shoulder. She reached the door and opened it to find Nate there. "Nate... Hi."

"Hi," Nate said. He glanced around nervously and then said, "Look, Katie, I came over to tell you... that I understand now. I was just..."

"Scared."

Nate nodded. "Right. And I realize now that you are still..."

"The same person you've always known?"

"Exactly. And you know what? I look past the demons and I look past the magic... and I all I see is..."

"Me?"

Nate smiled. "It's like you're reading my mind."

"Mmm, nah. That's my sister's power."

"...Really? She can read my mind?"

Katie nodded. "Yeah... Oh, but she won't. I mean, she wouldn't invade your privacy like that."

"Oh... good." Nate sighed. "Even though I think I am okay with you being a witch and all... it's going to take some time to get used to."

Katie nodded. "I understand."

Nate glanced around. "So... do you want to talk over some coffee?"

Katie shook her head and pulled Nate in, closing the door. "No. No more talk. Just... put your arms around me?" The two smiled and then embraced one another in a long kiss, forgetting everything around them.


	42. Four Horsekids of the Apocalypse

A/N: Just so you know, Ian thought of this plot. And: YAY FIFTY-PLUS REVIEWS!

**Zell -** Rob, thewhitelighter, died in 1.22. He was boring anyway. Thanks, I think you'll _really_ like the end of this chapter.  
**HugeFan -** Well, here's hoping you like this one. And you rock, giving us a lot of reviews.  
**Hazza -** -grin- Thank you. Gotta remind myself to update this thing...

Good news. 3.1 is practically finished, thanks to Ian's boredom. We literally just need to polish the thing, thenwe can have three more on the able-to-show list. Enjoy this episode in the meantime.

* * *

**2.17: TheFour Horsekids of the Apocalypse**

"All I'm saying is that we have to be more prepared," Ian said as he followed his sisters into the dinning room. "Demons have been a lot stronger lately."

"Ian," Katie said, sitting down. "We have vanquished every demon we have come up against. I think we will be fine. And I don't think a demon is going to attack during our breakfast."

At that moment the air near the other side of the room shimmered and a demon appeared. "No demons during breakfast, huh?" Ian ran at the demon, but it grabbed him by the shoulders and flung him into the wall.

"Ian!" Kathy yelled. She got up in front of the demon and kicked up at him. The demon grabbed her leg, swung her around, and sent her crashing into Ian who was just getting up.

Katie stood and raised her hands to freeze their attacker, but he shimmered away and back behind her. Pulling out an athame, the demon grabbed Katie and stabbed her in the back. She let out a scream and fell to the floor, blood seeping through her clothes.

Ian managed to stumble to his feet. "Eat flame," he said to the demon, and then blew him up. "Kathy, hurry."

Kathy ran over to their sister and quickly healed her. "You okay, Kate?"

Katie sat up and nodded. "I'm okay. Thanks."

Ian crossed his arms. "I think we need to start preparing."

-x-x-

The Source slowly made his way across his chamber and sat heavily in his chair. He was weak. The strength that it had taken to try and hold that force field around time had taken a lot out of him. And it had failed. "Those witches... they must be killed. And I am not strong enough now."

He waved his hand and a large book appeared in his lap. It was a book full of demons that he could summon to vanquish witches or do other dirty work. He paged through it and then stopped on one page. It had a picture of four men riding horses.

"Ah... these will do quite well. The last Source that had summoned them had vanquished them because they failed to kill the Charmed Ones. But all I need to do is create new ones. Yes, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse won't fail me. I'll make sure of it."

-x-x-

Ian followed his sisters through the house, ranting all the way. By this time, Katie had quit listening, but unfortunately some came through. "It's not going to take much. I mean, Kath here is learning the martial arts, I know it already, and you just have to pick up. And Kath, you're getting better. A month or two would make you really good. Demons are going to pop in here, unannounced. The more fighting skills we have, the better chance we have for—"

"Ian?" Katie interrupted Ian's ranting with extreme patience, turning around to face him. "I love you and all, but _shut up_."

Ian stared at his sister for a moment and then continued. "But we need to be prepared. We were almost killed. The demons have been a lot stronger lately, so we have to be a lot stronger too. Don't you agree, Kath?"

Kath looked back and forth between Ian and Katie. "Uh..." she said, trying to buy time. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Katie asked.

"The... dryer ding? I'll go shake it out!" Kath said, running off to the laundry room.

Ian turned back to Katie. "The Source is going to come after us. We have to be ready. Now I am going to go study the Book." He glanced at his watch. "I should also call into to work and say I am working here all day. You guys should call in too. Say your... sick."

"You do realize that I use that excuse way too much, right?" Katie replied, an eyebrow raised.

"Well too bad. You, Kathy, and I are going to do some major training today. So, if you have to, call in dead." Ian then walked off up the stairs towards the attic.

Katie shook her head and went downstairs to the kitchen to find Kath sitting at the table. "And you left me to fend our brother off by myself, Miss Hearing Fake Dryers." She said down at the table. "He wants me to call in dead. How do you call in dead, anyway?"

"Umm... that's a good question. But we can't call in sick or dead, can we? I mean we've already missed way too much as it is, and we can't exactly work from home like he can. Besides I'm booked up all day with meeting after meeting again," Kath said, sighing.

"Yeah, me too. I'll probably get fired if I use another one of my sick days, and I'm trying to actually save my vacation days. Ian will have deal without us being here today."

Ian came into the kitchen with the Book of Shadows in his hands. "Meetings? I don't remember you guys saying you were having meetings today." He frowned at both of them and sat down.

"Well mine just came up. Rick called this morning on my cell," Kath said, leaning on the door frame.

"Rick? I thought your boss was Tony?" Ian said, looking up from the BOS.

"Uh, he is.. I didn't say Tony? I meant Tony. Yeah. I meant Tony," Kathy said. She looked at her watch. "..I gotta go. Much love!" she said, turning and leaving.

"...Yeah... I think her telepathy is screwy again. Well, I gotta go, too. Knight called and said that there's a million customers today." Katie started to walk out the kitchen door. "Sorry we couldn't train today. Maybe tomorrow." A minute later the front door closed.

Ian shook his head. "Yeah, okay. I'll just do all this work myself." He started to page through the Book of Shadows, going past a page on the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse.

-x-x-

"Now, these witches are quite powerful. So you will have to be careful." The Source paced back and fourth in front of the Four Horsemen that he had just summoned up. War, Strife, Famine, and Death. "I will disguise you as children so you may get close enough to them. Create some havoc, but do not attack them until I say so. Death, watch the youngest; Famine, the middle child. War and Strife, you have the oldest witch." The Source stopped his pacing and then waved his hand. The Four Horsemen that glowed and changed into kids, roughly ten years old. "Now... go. And don't fail me."

-x-x-

The bells on the door jingled as the door closed behind her. Kathy looked around the room. She pressed her nose against a front desk window that was dark to see if there was a secretary there.

"Kathryn Hughes?" Kathy turned at the voice. A man with a headset and notepad stood by a door. Kathy nodded. "We've been expecting you. Follow me."

The man led her down a hall with doors on either side; a Matrix déjà vu. "Rick wants you to record a sample of something for the bigwigs downtown. He sent a co-worker of his down here though, he's a little busy today."

"Okay," Kath said, taking a deep breath as they stopped at door.

"Nervous?" The man asked, opening the door.

Kathy laughed a little and walked in the room. It was a normal recording room with a microphone, stool, stand with lyrics and headset hanging for her.

"Morning Kath," came a voice over the room's speakers who Kath assumed to be Rick's co-worker. Kath jumped a little. She looked at the tinted window in front of her.

"Chill out, you're going to do fine. A little late, but you'll do fine. Rick told me to tell you to just sing like you did at the club, okay?"

"Alright, I'll do my best," Kathy said. "What am I singing?"

"Thankful by Kelly Clarkson. I trust you know it?"

"Sure do. Track number nine," Kathy said, laughing to herself.

"Good, good. Just put on your headphones and we'll get started," Rick's associate said. Kathy took a deep breath as she put on the headphones and sat down on the edge of the stool. The music started playing and she naturally began tapping her foot to the beat.

"You know my heart... how to make me stop and how to make me go... you should know, I love everything about you, don't you know... that I'm thankful for the blessin' and the lessons that I learn with you by my side, and I'm thankful for the love you keep bringin' in my life.. in my life." As the next verse was about come up, Kathy looked up, expecting to see Rick's partner give her thumbs up or some sign of encouragement. But no one was there.

Just then a little boy stood up from the floor. He looked at her and smiled. The music stopped playing in her headset. "Um, who are you?" The boy didn't speak. He just sat down and looked at her. Though thoroughly suspicious, Kath felt a little twinge of panic and fear. Her cell phone vibrated in her purse, making an angry buzzing noise as it rattled.

She shook her head and picked up her phone. "Hello?" she said, tearing her eyes away from the boy.

"Kath, where are you? I can't cover for you any longer!" It was Tobias.

"I'm leaving the studio now," Kath said. "I'll see you soon." She hung up the phone and turned to see the boy was gone. "Hello?" she called out as she walked down the hallway.

"Is anyone here? I have to get to work!" Kathy said. She opened the door to the main lobby in which she had entered and screamed. The guy with the clipboard and headset was lying on the floor with his eyes wide open. Kath kneeled down and tried to find a pulse. Nothing. Kathy looked around, panicked. "Is anyone here, this man needs help!"

The boy appeared at the front desk window where it looked like a secretary should sit. He was smiling still. "Who are you?" He turned and walked out of the office, flipping on the light switch. A woman sat, eyes ghastly open. Kathy grabbed her mouth. "I gotta get out of here," she whispered to herself.

-x-x-

Laughter of children only a few yards away followed Katie as she walked through the local park. A man walked beside her. He was roughly three inches taller than her, had blue eyes and short, blonde hair. He was dressed casual-fancy: dark shirt and pants, and a tie. Compared to Katie, who wore jeans and a brown three-quarters shirt, he looked like a business man. Which he was.

"I suppose you know how to take good pictures," he said.

"I've been told I do." She paused, then told him, "I wouldn't have called you if I couldn't."

He chuckled lightly. "True. So we have some models at the studio that we can try you out on." Katie sighed. She didn't want to take pictures of posing models that were too thin. But in a job, you had to do whatever the boss said.

"Sounds good."

An half hour later, Katie stood inside a building. Three models, two female and one male, stood on the side of the set. The background was set as a primary-gray, with flicks of color in it. "Okay, first," she prompted when she was finished setting up her digital camera. The male model stepped up to the set and started posing.

Katie took several shots of him, then went onto the woman. It took all of an hour to finish taking pictures. When she was finished, she took the camera and disk to the manager. "I hope these are good enough," she said, setting them down on the desk.

"Well, let's find out," he slipped he disk into the CPU of the computer on his desk. A folder came up and he clicked the first file. Hitting the space bar, he cycled through the rest. "These are good. I'd say your hired."

A smile broke out on her face. "Thank you."

"Okay, so can you start—" Suddenly he gasped, clutching his stomach. His body transformed so the bones were clearly visible. The back of his head hit his chair as he died. The whole thing took less than a minute.

"Oh my god..." Katie murmured, jumping up from the chair. She turned around to look out into the main lobby. There were several other bodies in the same condition. Only one stood there, alive. It was a boy of nine, ten years old. He had a smirk on his face. "Will you call 911?" she asked. But he just stood there. "Kid?"

The boy turned and walked away, his hand trailing on the walls of the corridor. Katie watched after him for a second, then turned and grabbed the phone on the desk, calling 911.

-x-x-

_Bang!_ Ian waved away the smoke that had arose from the pot as he had added the last ingredient to the potion. "Okay, fifth potion done. Making three offensive and two defensive." Ever since his sisters had left, Ian had been studying the Book Of Shadows, making potions, and writing spells. There was no way that any demon would be catching him off guard.

_CRASH!_ Ian raised his head as he heard the noise coming from outside. It was followed by screams of rage and sounds of fighting.

"What the hell?" The King male made his way to the foyer and opened the front door of the manor. Outside there was a crowd of people, all of them screaming and fighting. Ian couldn't exactly tell what they were all fighting about, but it must have been bad. A neighbor had taken a television from their house and thrown in at a woman.

_That must have been the crash,_ Ian thought. He glanced around and saw two young children standing across the street, watching the fight. "Oh, they better get out of here before they get hurt."

"That's it!" a man suddenly yelled from the edges of the crowd. He pulled out a gun and fired. The bullet hit an elderly man, making him fall.

"No!" Ian ran down the steps of the manor and rushed to the street. The elderly man lay unmoving on the pavement, his blood staining everything it touched. Ian bent down and took his pulse. There was none. He was dead.

Ian looked around. After the shot had been fired all the fighting had stopped. The man with the gun had dropped the weapon. His hands were shaking. "I... I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean to kill him..."

"Someone call the police," Ian whispered. He had known this man. His name was George Miers. George had always been a kind person and was very active with the community. And he was a good neighbor. But now he was dead.

Looking up Ian saw the two children still standing there. They smiled and then ran off down the street. Sirens could be heard in the distance. The crowd of people who had been fighting only minutes before were now huddled around, some of them clutching one another's hands.

"I've got to call Katie and Kathy. Something just doesn't seem right." He stood up, took one last look at George lying dead on the ground, and then ran back into the manor.

-x-x-

Kath pulled up into the parking lot of Blush magazine headquarters. Just then, her cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Yeah, hi, Kath. You need to get home. Now." _Click_. It was Ian.

"Why does he have such a knack for doing that?" Kathy mumbled. She started her car again and drove off towards home. It seemed like she was hitting every red light. With a heavy groan, Kath stopped at the third one in a row.

"Come on!" Just then, the little boy from earlier walked across the sidewalk, staring with hollow eyes in her direction. A chill ran down her spine. There was something odd about him. Something… unnatural. It was cold, and emotionless. The light changed to green and Kathy's eyes flew back to the road.

The car in front of her wasn't moving. She honked her horn angrily. "Let's go! I have places to go!" The car just sat there and the light changed to yellow, followed by red. Kath got out of the car, slamming her door behind her. "For the love of all things, don't you know your colors?"

The window was rolled down and Kathy peered inside. The woman in the car sat there, limp and wide-eyed. Just like the studio staff. Kathy gasped and looked up to see the boy running away. She ran back into her car and caught the next light. From there, it was all green lights, ironically.

Kath made it home in time just to see Kate pull up.

"Called you too?" Katie said as she stepped out of her car. Kathy smiled and nodded. She felt so out of place for some reason. Seeing so many dead people seemed to be clogging her thinking process.

"I know it's a lovely day, but aren't you coming in?"

"Right," Kathy said, shaking her head, walking up the steps to the front door that Kate stood in front of.

"Attic!" Ian called as soon the door closed. The two sisters made their way upstairs.

"Demon attack?" Katie asked, putting on an air of carelessness.

"I'm not sure." Ian stood at the podium in the center of the room, paging through the Book Of Shadows. "It's just that something's not right." He then explained to them what had happened with the small riot and George being shot.

Katie frowned. "I saw... someone being killed in front of me just a little while ago. It looked like he starved, but he was okay just a minute before."

"Odd.. I saw like four people stone cold dead while I was at the– office," Kathy said, walking over to see the Book of Shadows over Ian's shoulder.

"Strange," Ian whispered. "All this stuff happening on the same day. And all of it so sudden with one of us at each happening. There has to be some connection..."

"Well... the only other thing that seemed out of place was this... strange little boy," Kathy murmured. "He wasn't normal at all.. he just stared at me. It was really creepy."

"Ditto." Katie raised her hand.

"There were two children there when the riot was going on, too. So... we've found the connection. But... who are they? And what do they want?"

"Damned if I know. Probably something to do with..." Katie pointed at the floor. "I mean, look what they did before."

Ian nodded. "Yep. The Source still wants us dead. He's weak, so he is sending someone else after us." He sighed. "Okay, to find out who these kids are, we have to add up what they do. Now I believe that the two I saw started that riot." Ian looked at Kathy. "What exactly happened at your work?"

"Well… I didn't actually make it to work," Kathy said, trying to line up her story in her head before she made a complete fool out of herself.

"Then where were you?" Ian asked, his brow furled in inquisitive question.

"I had to stop at a place to drop some things off for Tony. They sat me down in a board room, went to gather their things to show me and give to Tony, and they just… never came back. I went and looked around, and everyone was… dead," Kath said. There was a strange look on Ian's face, but he seemed to accept the story.

Ian nodded. "All right. Well we have to search these kids out. Find them before they do any more damage." He grabbed his jacket off a chair. "Okay, Kathy, go find Tobias. He can help you search. Katie, you can go with Nate if he is up to it. I know he is still... on the edge about all this stuff, but he is doing better. And you guys need to have some time together. I'll go by myself. If any one of us finds one of the kids, or all of them, call for Katie. Or, Kate, if you find them, orb to get one of us first." He looked at his sisters for a moment. "Ready?" he finally asked.

The girls nodded. The three of them headed downstairs and to their own cars.

-x-x-

Katie knocked on the door of Nathan's apartment only ten minutes later. "Hi Nate," she said when he opened the door.

"Hey. Don't you have a key? I thought—"

"Oh, I do," she put in hurriedly. "But I didn't want to impose or anything. Considering what I'm about to ask."

A softened frown appeared on his face. "Uh oh. What is it?"

She sighed. "There's another... threat in town. Ian and Kath are looking for it, but I thought it would be a good idea if you came with me." It was a slight lie, but she hardly wanted to tell him that her brother practically ordered her to. "What do you say?"

Nate hesitated, but nodded after a moment. "Sure. It should be interesting."

"Interesting is an understatement sometimes."

-x-x-

Kathy peeked over the corner of the office. There was no one at the front desk, something she would talk to the secretary later about, and there was no one in the break room.

Only the sound of ticking computer keys and gentle pencil sketches filled her ears. #Tobias,# she telepathed to him, catching a glimpse of him. He turned around, and looked about confused. #I'm in the lobby, just come here.#

#Why don't you come in here?# he asked, still trying to find her and not look suspicious.

#Because we're about to leave and I don't want Tony to see me. There's trouble in paradise.#

#If this is paradise, then—#

#Would you just come on?# Kath said, tired of wasting time.

Tobias set down the file he had in his hand on his desk and walked nonchalantly around the corner to the lobby. Kathy grabbed his shirt and dragged him into the stairwell. "Next time, don't be so pokey!" Kath growled, leading him down the stairs.

"Fine, fine. What's up?" he asked.

"Well… we really don't know for sure, but there are these kids going around and causing havoc. I stopped by the recording studio this morning to record, and halfway through my taping, people just dropped dead. The only alive person I saw was this weird little boy. Similar thing happened to Katie and Ian, but there were two boys with him. It just doesn't add up."

"Well we better make this quick. If Tony notices us both gone for this amount of time, he's bound to cut some heads."

-x-x-

Ian walked down an alley, searching for any sign of those kids. He had parked his car on a main street and had got out to do a more thorough search. As he walked, Ian thought about talking to his sisters earlier. Something had not been right. Both of them had been acting strangely. Especially Kathy.

She had seemed to not be telling the full truth about her story. But Ian would just have to worry about that later. Right now he had a job to do.

As he turned a corner Ian heard a noise up ahead. He thought he saw some shadowy figures moving around at the end of the alley. They were small. Small enough to be children.

"Hey!" he called out, moving forward. He got close enough and recognized two of them as the kids he had seen earlier. Once they saw him they ran off and around a corner. "Hey! Come back here!" Ian then ran off after them.

-x-x-

"So what have you been doing lately? I haven't seen you for a few days." Katie and Nate walked down the sidewalk of a fairly empty street. She figured that the kids wouldn't be around in a crowd of people. If their simple presence had a killing effect, they might attract unwanted attention.

"Well, I have been doing a lot of work with setting up my company in this area," he started out. But then Nate glanced at Katie. "And I have been thinking a lot about this magic thing. I'm still not sure if it's... safe. You don't know what could happen. How long have you even had it?"

"I got it last year in February. So over a year." She shrugged. "It really just became a way of living for us. Saving the town from evil, that is."

"So... all those times something strange happened and you told me some excuse... it really did happen?" Katie nodded. "So... did I really see some guys shape shift into you?"

"It's a good possibility."

Nate shook his head. "Well, at least now I know when you told me in Hawaii that you had responsibilities, you weren't kidding." He stopped and turned to Katie. "But aren't you afraid of being killed? This stuff seems so dangerous."

Katie took a deep breath. She didn't think Nate would handle the news very well that she had already died once this year. "Not really. And you're going to ask why I risk everything on these trips, aren't you?" He nodded. "Well... It's hard to explain. A lot of times I may not seem like it, but it's quite the same way that you saved me in the attic weeks ago."

Nate smiled. "Love. Such a strange, mysterious thing. Maybe one day someone will be able to define it." He looked around. "What exactly are we looking for anyway?"

"Demons. Kid demons, actually. Long story short, they kill by apparently starvation, fighting, and plain death." They started walking down the sidewalk once again.

-x-x-

Kath and Tobias pulled up in front of the studio where there were several cop cars, ambulances and roped off areas all around the studio. They quickly got out of her car and walked up to the yellow taped area. "Excuse me, I need to search the perimeters," Kath said to the cop. He didn't turn around. "Hello? Ugh, some people," Kathy groaned, ducking under the tape.

"Kat, we can't do that!" Tobias said, hesitating on the other side.

"We can't leave work during working hours either, but it didn't stop you earlier," Kath hissed.

Tobias sighed and stooped under. Just as they were going to make their way inside, several body bags came out.

"Okay, they're dead, let's go," Tobias said. Kath grabbed his jacket.

"Not yet! The kid has to be in there still," Kath said, looking over the heads in the building to try and see in.

"Why would he come back here? You said you saw him on the way to kidnap me on the side of the street," Tobias said.

"Well it could be the whole 'return to the scene of the crime' déjà vu thing you always hear about," Kathy said. "And besides, there has to be something about these people that they all have in common. I mean, not everyday does some insane little boy go around killing people." There was a faint scream, but Kath wasn't paying attention.

"Hey, is that you're kid?" Tobias said, looking around at the street corner. People closer to the corner had turned at the scream, and there was a lot of talking going on.

Kathy squinted, ducked back underneath the yellow-tape, and made her way through the crowd. Tobias sighed and followed. He didn't really have a choice now, did he? When Kathy reached the corner, she turned and there on the bench under the bus stop awning was a dead homeless man, his blood dripping through the crevices in the bench.

There was a chilling laughter behind her and they both turned. The boy was running off.

-x-x-

Ian ran around another corner and stopped short. Three kids stood in front of him. He recognized two of them as the ones he had seen earlier. "Okay, aren't there supposed to be four of you?" At that moment a kid came rushing into the alley from the other way, joining up with the others. "And there he is."

"Come back here!" Kathy and Tobias ran into the alley. They had been chasing the fourth kid. "Oh. Hey Ian," Kathy said.

"Hi. Okay, you kids are in big trouble."

All four of them laughed. "We're not kids," one of them said.

"We're something you can't stop," said another.

Ian frowned. "And what's that?"

They glanced at one another and then all spoke together: "The Apocalypse." A moment later they transformed. They were children no more. Each was about six feet tall. Their bodies were covered in armor. And every one of them held a sword that glinted in the sunlight.

"Ian," Kathy said. "Maybe we should call Katie now."

"Good idea. Katie!" Ian called out.

Their sister orbed in a moment later with Nate next to her. His face was contorted in a nauseous position. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Don't worry," Katie said, patting Nate's back. "You'll get used to it." She then glanced at the armored men. "Who are they and where are the kids?"

"Those are the kids," Ian told her.

"Pretty big kids."

One of the men stepped forward. "We are the Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse. I am War. These are my brothers. Strife, Famine, and Death."

Kathy and Tobias slowly made their way around the Horsemen to stand by the others. "So you did kill all those people?" Kathy asked

War nodded. "Yes. And now it's your turn."

"I don't think so," Ian said, shooting out his hands and releasing his power at War. But the power had no effect on him. "Uh oh..."

Katie sidestepped so she was beside Ian. "It didn't work!" she hissed. He shook his head. Meanwhile, the four demons were hefting up their swords, obviously getting ready for a battle.

"Watch it!" Kath yelled at the them. Two of the demons were swinging the weapons already, coming only millimeters from a hit. Ian rolled and picked up an iron pipe, holding it up as if it was a real weapon. Katie found her own while Kath was shooting at the one coming toward her with white-hot beams. They were lucky that Tobias was with them; for one, the odds were even, and he paired up with Nate to fight the last remaining demon.

"You won't win," War told them all. "We don't need powers to destroy you."

"Wanna bet?" Ian replied, trying to get a hit at him. It failed, and the leader stabbed him in the stomach.

"I'll bet my life on it."

"Ian!" Kathy ran over and tried to heal him. A golden light flooded out of her hands, and the wound sealed up. "Katie, let's get out of here."

Katie nodded, yelling at the other men to come near. When the were all around her, she orbed them back to the manor. "Everyone okay?"

"Okay?" Nate squealed. "Ian was just killed and, and, and then he was okay? I don't understand all of this... magic."

"It's okay Nate," Kathy said. "Ian may have been stabbed, but luckily I'm an overprotective sister. That and I have the power to virtually heal everyone's wounds."

"Sure that comes in handy," Nate mumbled.

"Maybe you should go home for a while," Ian said, looking from Katie to Nate. "You probably have some work to get done, and you're really not comfortable with this entire subject still."

"But… I should be here. To support Katie at least," Nate said, looking over at Kate.

"It's all right, Nate. You shouldn't really be here anyways. I'll orb you home," Katie said. Before Nate could object, Kate had grabbed his arm and orbed out.

"Well then," Kathy said. "What next?"

"We check the Book," Ian said. The two headed up to the attic with Tobias right behind them. Once there Ian opened the Book Of Shadows and began to flip through it. "Here they are," he said after a few minutes.

"Hand picked by the Source, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are the "Anointed Ones" and bear the mark of the omega, the end. War, Strife, Famine and Death each use their special powers for spreading loss and death in order to lead to the eventual destruction of the world.

"The horsemen are immune to all the spells and potions of witches and only the Source can vanquish them. When a team of horsemen fails, the Source destroys them and picks a new team."

"Great. So we can't beat them?" Kathy asked.

"Well. There has to be some way to do it. I mean... we've stopped every demon and warlock that has come our way. And we can stop these guys. We just have to... concentrate."

"And we have Tobias on our side," Kathy said with a smile.

"I don't know if I would be of much help. You guys are a lot stronger than me."

"But every little bit helps, Tobias." Ian sat down on the dust covered couch next to Katie's open purse. "Oh, cool. When did Katie get a camera?"

He took the camera out of the purse and was pulled into a vision. He saw Katie at the park, taking pictures. There was a flash and the scene changed. A man sat in front of Katie. He was dead. And the kid who was also Famine stood close-by, a smile on his face.

Ian opened his eyes. "She wasn't at work," he whispered.

Kathy and Tobias glanced at one another. "What?" Kathy finally asked.

"Katie... I just had a vision of where Katie saw Famine. And she wasn't at work." His eyes narrowed. "She lied to me. Why would she lie?"

Katie orbed in at that moment. "Thought you guys would be up here by now," she said cheerfully. "Well, Nate's safe at his apartment... Did I miss something?" Catching the odd glances from Kath and her boyfriend, and the angry one from Ian, she frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"Why did you lie to me?" Ian asked, setting down Katie's camera and crossing his arms.

Katie glanced at the camera. It had been in her purse the last time she checked. "Where'd you find that?"

"Your purse was open. I saw the camera, picked it up, and had a vision. I saw what happened when you saw Famine first attack. But it wasn't at your work, now was it? Where was it really, Kate?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Kath and Tobias were uncomfortable in the situation. "I just had a job offer, so I took it. It was something I really wanted to do."

Ian sighed. "Well why didn't you just tell me that? Why did you have to go behind my back and tell me you had meetings all day?"

"Because you were so obsessed over your whole training kick! You weren't about to let me go out and get another job." Katie shrugged. "What would you do if you were in my position?"

"I would tell you the truth. Now I know I was being a little psycho earlier, but I don't want to lose either of you. That's why we need to be prepared." Ian sighed again and then continued. "Okay, I understand why you did it. But lying that you have meetings all day just to get out of training is not right. I mean, getting out of stuff is usually the youngest siblings job, right?" He smiled and looked at Kathy who looked away. "Wait... you did, didn't you Kath? You lied too!"

"Well... Katie lied first!" Kathy said, pointing accusingly at Katie.

"Hey, that's not fair!"

"Oh god." Ian sat down heavily on the couch and covered his face. After a moment he looked up and said, "Okay, what were _you_ lying about?"

"I wasn't dropping off things for Tony, or at any meetings for him. I went to recording studio to record a demo for Rick, a guy a met at the bar the night I sang at talent night. It's no big deal, sheesh," Kathy said. "It was just something I wanted to experiment with on my own. Music world is harsh, and I could easily not get accepted. I didn't want to bring another bummer to the family."

"Okay," Ian said, standing up. "Whatever. You both lied to get out of training and then went off to do other things. Things that are important to you, which I understand. But we can't be keeping secrets from each other, especially in a crisis like we are in now. But we will deal with all that later. Right now we have demons to vanquish."

He went over to the podium that the BOS sat on. "According to the Book, the only way these guys can be killed is by the Source's hand. No one else has the Power to kill them. But I don't believe that. I think we can find a way to stop them." Ian picked up the Book and turned to Katie. "You can make some kick-ass potions and the rest of us can work on spells and ideas. Let's go."

They all headed down the stairs. As they got to the landing, there was a loud noise from outside. "What was that?" Ian said. Suddenly, the front doors burst open and four horses came galloping into the foyer, carrying the Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

"This is bad," Kathy whispered.

"Enough chat," Ian said, his 'leader' voice taking over. "Time to fight." Ian dropped the BOS on the landing and then levitated into the air as War came towards Ian on his horse. Ian landed a hard kick on War which sent the demon off his horse and to the floor. Ian landed and took a fighting stance. "Come on guys!" he yelled to his sisters and Tobias, not taking his eyes off War. "Join the party."

Katie shared a quick glance with Kath before running into the battle. The sword of Strife came crashing down as she passed his horse. Out of reflex, she put her hands up to freeze the demon, but all that resulted in was the freezing of his horse. "Well, that did much good," she said with irritation.

"Your powers don't work against me, witch," growled Strife. The Horseman dismounted and held up his sword in seemingly one motion. He swung the weapon across her chest; if she hadn't jumped back, a deep cut would've appeared. Repeatedly he swung the blade at her, until he had her backed up against the wall.

She glanced around until her eyes hit a vase. Katie flicked her hand and the vase whipped from its table to the demon's head. Thinking fast, she grabbed for the sword as he was disorientated, grappling until she had it in her grasp, and thrust the sword into Strife's chest. The demon's eyes widened as she let go and his flesh began to burn from the wound out.

Katie held up her arm to protect her face as Strife blew up. "Stab them with the sword!" she yelled to Ian, Kath, and Tobias.

"Sword?" Kath muttered. Death, only a vague similarity of the form she saw earlier, seemed to panic. He leaped off his horse, dashing his sword about with skill. "Why does it have to be the sword?" Kathy mused aloud as she jumped backwards. She shot a hole in the wooden floor, just as Death moved another step. His foot fell into it, and as he toppled, the sword flew forward, landing heavily on the ground next to her. Luckily, she moved her foot, otherwise it might not be as intact. Kath picked it up, though clumsily held it, and made a sharp jab to Death's midriff. The sword sank through the armor and into his flesh. Soon, he began to disappear.

The sword seared her hands, and she automatically released it. It too began to disappear. She looked up at the others, watching as Tobias kicked Famine in the stomach. The sword flew high in the air. "Tobias!" Kathy screamed. But Tobias reached up and caught the sword, holding it skillfully. He quickly made a clean cut to Famine's chest, and then planted it firmly into his stomach, causing Famine to explode. Kath slightly cringed, not seeing this side of him before.

Once Famine was gone the three turned to see Ian fighting War. He ducked the swing of the demon's sword and gave a quick punch to War's stomach. Ian then kicked the sword out of Wars hand, grabbed his wrist, and flipped him onto his back. Picking up the sword, Ian smiled and said, "Not so invincible now, are you?"

He then brought the sword down, stabbing War right through to the wooden floor beneath him. The demon howled in anger and pain and then exploded in a burst of fire. There was a great flash of light and the horses all disappeared. Ian turned to the others and smiled. "Well that wasn't so hard. In my opinion, the Book exaggerates about how powerful they are."

"Yeah, but the Book was made by weaker witches who couldn't defeat them," Katie reminded him.

"Well I wonder if those weaker witches had a floor healing potion," Kathy said, bending down and running over a hoof print. "We're going to have to totally rip this out and buy new wood."

"Thanks to you and Ian, that is," Katie pointed out.

"Well it's not my fault the sword was the only thing that killed them. Besides, he was lugging that thing everywhere at me, I had to think fast," Kath said.

"Can we stop arguing and blaming for one second?" Ian asked.

"Well if the alternative is cleaning the floor, then no," Katie said. Ian grimaced. "Okay, okay, let's clean up... once again."

"I'd like to stay around and help," Tobias said, rubbing his neck, "but I gotta go."

"And since you don't have a car, I'll be overjoyed to take you," Kath said. She quickly pushed him out of the door.

"Do you think she'll need someone to go with her?" Katie asked.

"No. Now go get the dustpan and clean up the vase you broke."

"Ugh, how does she always get out of cleaning?"

"Because she is the youngest. ... And evilest. Now let's just do this and then we can go to the club and party."

-x-x-

Katie came off the dance floor and sat down next to Ian in their VIP booth. "Hey, bro. Why aren't you doing any dancing?"

Ian shrugged and sipped his drink. "Not in the dancing mood right now. Plus I ache all over."

"That's the bad part about being witches. Getting hurt is unavoidable."

"You said it, sister," Ian said, smiling.

Kathy came over at that moment and sat down. "Hey guys. How did the cleaning go?"

"Fine," Katie said with a glare at her sister. "Would have gone faster if you were there to help us out."

"Well Tobias needed a ride home. And then there was the goodbye kiss... followed by the goodbye sex."

Ian held up his hand to stop her from saying anymore. "Too much information that, Kath. Let's just say you had a long goodbye kiss."

Kathy nodded. "Okay."

Ian set down his glass and leaned back. "And you guys... About that whole thing with you two lying to me. It's okay. I understand that I was being... a little controlling."

"A little?" Katie asked.

"Shush. Anyways, you two are adults and can go off and do what you want without needing permission from me. And I think it is great that you are both finding new things to do. But I think there will be some delay since the people you were working with were killed."

Kathy grimaced. "Yeah, I feel really bad about those people getting killed." She sighed. "Demons suck."

"Oh yeah," Katie said. She then looked at Ian and said, "And I'm sorry about lying to you."

"Me too," Kathy said.

"Okay. We all are sorry, we are all forgiven. Good. Now back to what I was saying this morning. We _do_ need to be prepared. We got lucky with the Apocalypse demons today. There might not have been any way to destroy them. And who knows who the Source could send next. We have to keep on our toes."

Katie nodded. "You're right. I guess a little more witchy training can't hurt."

"I agree," Kathy said. "Just not too much."

Ian smiled. "Okay." He then stared down at the floor and sighed. "I just wish we knew what the Source was planning..."

-x-x-

Down in depths of the Underworld, the Source cried out in a mad rage. His unbeatable warriors had been destroyed. "I can't win. Anyone I call on is defeated by those witches. And I am not strong enough anymore to take them on myself." The Source picked up his book full of demons and sighed. "Is there anyone that can kill them?"

An arrow suddenly shot through his back and pierced the Source's heart. He slowly turned around to see a man in black standing there with a crossbow raised. "I can," said the man. The Source fell face-first to the floor but exploded before he could land. The man in black smiled. "You had your chance to kill those witches. Now it's my turn."


	43. Fungus Frenzy

A/N: Ian wrote this. I dunno how Kate got to be OCD about cleaning the kitchen.Thanks to Zell and Chyp for the reviews (sorry, I'm too tired to think of a relatively good reply)!

* * *

**Episode 2.18: Fungus Frenzy**

"Okay," Kathy said as she spoke on the phone at the manor. "You guys can be here at noon. I'll have lunch prepared. All right, see you then." She hung up just as Katie came in carrying a large bucket full of cleaning products.

"Who's going to be here at noon?" she asked, setting the bucket down.

"Colleagues of mine. We are having a meeting here. I thought this would be a good place to have it since it's so big and... fancy."

Katie looked stunned. "Meeting? Here?"

"Yeah. Didn't I tell you about it?"

"No! You didn't tell me anything about this! Kathy, you can't have a meeting here."

"Why not?" Kathy inquired.

"Well, it might just be because of the fact that demons like to barge in here at all times of the day. Before calling, I might add."

"Well I am sure we can handle it. If anything happens you can freeze the place."

"So you want me to sit in on your meeting just incase some demon pops in? I can't. I have work to do, even though it is my day off. Yay for me."

Kathy eyed the large bucket. "Yeah... what is all that for anyway?"

"There is this... fungus... mold type thing in the kitchen. I am going to try to get rid of it."

"Really? I didn't see it in there earlier when I had breakfast."

"Yeah, well, neither did I. It sorta just appeared. So I have to get rid of it. And you have to call back whoever you just talked to and tell them that this meeting is off."

"But I can't do that. There is no time to contact everyone. Now, Kate, I'm sure everything will be fine."

-x-x-

Outside the manor a man sat perched in a tree, watching the sisters through a window. He was the same one who had killed the Source just days before. And now he was watching the King siblings. He knew of their power; of how great it was. Not even the Source could stop them. But the Source had been weak.

The man smiled as he watched Kathy walk out of his view through the window. He then vanished in a puff of black smoke, moments later reappearing in a cavern of the underworld. The one that used to belong to the Source.

Several high ranking demons were there waiting for him. He had sent the word out that the Source was dead. Yet he hadn't said it was his doing. Everyone thought the King's had done it. If they had known that this man was the one responsible then he would have been killed in no time flat.

One of the demons stepped forward. "Why have you called us here? And who are you?"

"My name is Dylan. And I have called you all here to tell you that I am taking over. As the new Source of All Evil."

The demon snorted. "And why should you be the new Source?"

Before anything more could be said a crossbow suddenly appeared in Dylan's hands. He pulled the trigger and the arrow shot through the air, striking the demon who had spoken right in the heart. Not a moment later the demon exploded in a fiery blast.

"Because," Dylan said, lowering the crossbow, "I am more powerful than any one of you."

The rest of the demons stared at the spot where the other had been destroyed. Finally, one of them spoke up. "You're a Darklighter."

"Not only a Darklighter. I am part Darklighter... part witch."

"Witch!" a bearded demon spat.

"Don't worry," Dylan said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I am fully evil. The witch part of me is just an accident. But the powers are quite a good bonus." Dylan waited for a moment, but no one said anything or confronted him. So he continued. "I have sent someone in to the King household. Those witches are obviously the biggest threat on the eastern coast. Yet since I am new here I first want to see how they fight. How they work together. Then I will have a better idea of how to destroy them. Now, are you with me or not?"

The demons all looked at one another and then bowed to Dylan. They were going to serve him. They might not like it, but they knew they would serve him... or die.

-x-x-

Ian walked into the kitchen to see Katie kneeling on the floor, spraying something with a cleaning bottle. "Uh... Kate? What are you doing?"

Katie looked up at her brother and frowned. "This fungus... stuff just appeared earlier this morning. I have no idea what it is and I am trying everything I can to get rid of it. I even tried scraping it off the floor... but it won't budge." She sighed, but then got a glint in her eye. "Hey... could you blow it up?"

"The fungus?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, first of all, ew. Second of all... magic for personal gain?" Ian crossed his arms. He was always against using their powers to do things that could be done without magic.

"But... if this stuff spreads throughout the whole house... we will have to call some poison guys, they will make us go to a hotel while they work, and then we might be exposed as witches if they found anything. And you don't want that to happen, now do you?"

Ian stared at his sister for a moment, then said, "You _are_ evil. All right, I'll do it. But just this once." He motioned for Katie to stand back and then directed his power at the fungus. It exploded into hundreds of tiny pieces all over the floor. "Well, I did it. Now you can..." Ian trailed off. For the fungus pieces had each embedded themselves into the floor and grown. Now there was a lot more than to begin with. "Uh oh."

"Great, Ian. Now look what you did!"

"Me? You were the one who— Oh, never mind. But this obviously means that this fungus stuff is supernatural."

Katie rolled her eyes. "And our dear sister is having a meeting here at noon. Boy, this is going to be interesting."

"What!" Ian yelled. "Kathy is having a meeting? Here?"

"Isn't that what I just said?"

"Kate," Ian said, glaring.

"Okay, okay. Yes, Kathy is having a fashion meeting thingy here. I told her it wasn't possible. That she couldn't have them here because of all the demons that attack." Ian smiled. "What?"

"You are acting like me. I remember giving that same speech to you a thousand times."

"Great. I'm turning into you." She sighed. "But, no matter what I said she wouldn't budge. So I have to deal with this fungus thing before they get here."

Ian glanced around the kitchen. "Do you think this stuff could be dangerous? I mean, what if it is here for a reason?"

"Yeah," Katie said sarcastically. "It's a fungus demon! Here to kill us with its horrible stench!"

"Okay, well check the Book anyway. See if it says anything about magical house infestations or something. I have to get to work. Derek said there was a new employee in the office. I want to get there before whoever it is, is all welcomed out." He then smiled, waved, and left the manor.

Katie sighed once more and looked around the room. "Well. Guess I better get to work on this. Looks like my day off won't be spent relaxing..."

"Katie!" Kathy's scream came from the foyer. And her tone was full of urgency.

"Nope. No relaxing whatsoever." Katie then bolted out of the kitchen and ran to the foyer. There stood Kathy and a demon, facing off. "Not very nice of you to barge in like this uninvited," Katie said to the demon.

"Don't worry. I won't be here long. Just long enough to kill you both."

"Don't count on it," Kathy said. The demon rushed at her. She ducked the swing of his arm and stepped behind him. With a swift kick Kathy hit the small of the demons back with her foot, sending him sprawling face first to the floor.

Katie raised her eyebrows. "Wow. Ian has been teaching you quite well."

Kathy shrugged. "Ever since last week when those Apocalypse guys attacked us we have been having more training sessions. I think I'm getting quite good. Soon I might even surpass him."

"Yeah, can we get back to the demon who is getting up off our floor?" The demon stood and threw an energy ball at Katie. "Whoa!" She threw up her hands and the energy ball and the demon froze.

Kathy came around to stand next to her sister. "Okay, that was close."

Nodding her head Katie replied, "Maybe we should have a little less conversation while battling demons."

"Good plan. Now you wanna throw that back at him?" Kathy nodded to the energy ball that hung frozen in midair.

"No problem." Katie waved her hand and the magic projectile was flung back into the demon's chest. He unfroze just long enough to scream in pain and then exploded. "Now look at that. Demon. What would have happened if he had attacked while you were having your meeting thingy?"

"Then we would have been in big trouble. But there is usually only one demon attack in a day. So now that we have taken care of this guy we should be in the clear. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go make a big lunch for these people." And with that she started off for the kitchen.

"Um, the kitchen is not exactly safe to be making food in right now," Katie said, running after her sister.

"Why not?" Kathy pushed open the kitchen door and stopped short. The kitchen was covered in the fungus substance.

Katie came in behind Kathy. "That's why not."

"What is all of it?"

"Um... you know that fungus problem I was telling you about? Yeah, this is it."

"Well let's get rid of some of it." Kathy raised her hand.

"No!" Katie yelled.

But it was too late. Kathy had shot a brightly colored beam at one of the biggest patches. On contact the patch exploded, sending pieces of it onto the walls, each then growing to create their own patch. "...Oops."

"Thanks. Now I have even more to deal with."

"Yeah... sorry about that. But I have to make a trip to Boston Market now. Because you are right. It is not safe to cook in here." She then turned on her heel and left the room.

"Oh, thanks!" Katie yelled after her. "Leave all this to me!" She glanced around the kitchen. "Guess it's time to check the Book Of Shadows."

-x-x-

"I told you!" Dylan yelled in the face of one of the high ranking demons. "I had already sent someone in. And then you send in your own man."

"I thought you would want them weakened... So when the time came, your man could destroy them."

"I don't want them destroyed," Dylan said. "At least not yet. I told you that I wanted to see how they fight. And that is all that is going to happen right now." He stepped back and looked at each demon in turn. "So if any of you try anything again that could disrupt my plans..." He let the sentence hang in the air. No one said a word. Dylan smiled. He knew none of them would disobey him again.

-x-x-

Ian walked into the break room at The Central news bureau to find a group of people all crowded around one person; a stunning woman with long blonde hair. Derek noticed Ian and walked over to him. "Hey, you made it."

"Yeah... Is that the new employee?"

Derek nodded. "Yep. Her name is Charisma Mitchell. She will be doing the Foods column. She really wanted your job, but since that was obviously full, she took that instead. Go on up and introduce yourself."

Ian walked up to the woman and smiled. "Hi. I'm Ian King." He held out his hand, but she didn't take it.

"Ah yes. I've been waiting for you to get here." She flashed a smile at him.

Frowning, Ian asked, "You have?"

"Yes. Because I would like to talk to you." She leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "Alone."

"Uh... sure. Let's go to my office." The two left the break room and went down the hall and into Ian's small office. He closed the door behind them. "So. What did you want to talk about?"

"Your job. I want it." She wasn't smiling anymore. "See, I was the best writer they had at my old job. But they just didn't see it and didn't give me the amount of money I would prefer." She sat on the edge of Ian's desk and crossed her legs. "So I searched around. Everywhere. No place was good enough. Until I came here. Your pay for this is quite high. High enough to satisfy someone like me. But since you currently hold the job... Well I had to take something else. It doesn't pay enough. And this is the only place that will satisfy me." She stood up and got really close to Ian. "I want your job. And I will do _anything_ to get it." Her smile came back on. "Have a nice day."

As she brushed past Ian to leave, an electric jolt went through him. His eyes flew shut; flashes of images flowed through his mind. He saw The Central's parking garage. A fireball flew through the air. Charisma was holding a woman in her arms. The woman had a scorch mark on her chest. And she was dead.

Ian opened his eyes. He spun around to see the door just closing behind Charisma. "Demon," he whispered.

-x-x-

"Thank you," Kathy said to the cashier. She picked up the two bags that were filled with food. They were heavy. Too heavy. "Whoa!" One of the bags slipped from Kathy's grasp. Two hands reached out and caught the bag. It was Tobias.

"Hey," Kathy said, repositioning the other bag before it fell as well. "What are you doing here?"

"Apparently saving your bag full of food." Tobias smiled. "And I came to spend some time with you. I called the manor and Katie said you were here. Looks like I came just in time."

"Yeah. But what do you mean spend time with me? We spend a lot of time together." The two left Boston Market through the sliding doors and headed towards Kathy's car.

"Well, not really. Ever since you got promoted... we've been seeing each other a lot less."

Kathy frowned. "We saw each other just last week."

"Yeah. I helped out in fighting the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Not exactly my idea of a good time."

They reached Kathy's car and put the two bags in. "Hey, it's not my fault I'm a witch with duties. And I'm now Vice President of the women's fashion department. Also, I have been trying to do something with my singing, which is my real passion. I've been a little busy."

"Well maybe you should take it easy. Do a little less."

"That would make _you_ happy, wouldn't it? But guess what? I don't mind being busy. I like my job, I like singing, and hey, I even like kicking demon butt. I don't need a break. But I do need to get home and get ready for that meeting." She opened her car door and got in.

"Kathy, wait," Tobias said, pleadingly.

"Goodbye, Tobias. I'll see you at work tomorrow." She then closed her door, started the car, and drove off.

-x-x-

Ding dong! Katie opened the door as the bell rang for the second time. "Hey Nate. What's up?"

"I came to visit. See if you wanted to go out or something."

"Uh... I can't really do that right now."

Nate groaned. "Oh no. Is it something magical? Because didn't you just have something magical happen last week? I mean... don't you guys get a break?"

Katie shook her head. "Nope. Never. And it's not something big. Just some gross supernatural fungus."

"What?"

"Well, I checked the Book Of Shadows and as far as I can tell... the fungus is just a reaction of all the magical residue. Yeah, every bit of magic leaves some type of residue. So if there is enough it can coalesce into a weird fungus. So all I have to do is make a few potions, say a few spells, and do a magical cleansing of the manor. Then we are good to go."

Nate just stood there, staring. Finally he said, "I didn't understand a word of that."

"And you don't have to. The point is, I'm a little busy. And I have to try and take care of this before Kathy's work friends get here. Or before anything else happens."

At that moment Ian came into the manor behind Nate. "Katie, we have a demon to vanquish."

"...Too late."

"Too late for what?"

Katie shook her head. "Never mind. Look, Nate. You can see I have a lot to deal with. So..."

"Yeah. I'll go. Can I call you tonight?"

"That would be great."

Nate nodded. "Okay. Talk to you tonight." He turned and left through the still open doorway.

Katie shut the door and turned to her brother. "Okay, who's the demon?"

"That new employee at the office. I had a premonition. She is going to kill a woman with a fireball. A very important woman."

"And who is that?"

"Well I didn't know at first. But she looked familiar. So I checked some files at work and came up with the answer. The woman is Sherry Lamen. The person in charge of deciding who has what job at The Central."

"And why would this demon girl want to kill her?"

"Because she wants my job."

"A demon wants your job?"

Ian nodded. "Yes. She was telling me that she would do anything to get it. And I guess she is going to try and get Mrs. Lamen to give her my job. By the way things go in my vision, I am assuming Mrs. Lamen refuses."

"Obviously. But why would a demon want your job? Why not just kill you like all the others want to do?"

"I don't know," Ian said with a shrug. "Demons need money to survive in this world too, right? Maybe she doesn't even know that I am a witch."

"Maybe. But you should be careful. We don't know how powerful or dangerous this chick is," Katie said with a sigh. "Now go check the Book. See if you can find her in there. Oh, and when is she going to attack Mrs. Lamen?"

"Not until after one o'clock. I saw a watch on Charisma's wrist in my premonition. I'm expecting that Sherry will be coming back from lunch when this happens."

"Charisma?"

"That's the name of the demon."

Katie snorted. "Pretty fancy name for a demon." She pushed her hair behind her ears and then started off for the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Ian asked.

"To make some potions and spells for our magical fungus."

"Oh, so you found out what it is?"

Katie stopped and turned back to her brother. "Yeah, I think so. I have to do a cleansing of the house to get rid of this stuff. Now go look for your demon co-worker." Ian smiled and then ran off up the stairs.

-x-x-

Kathy opened the door to the manor with much difficulty, trying very hard not to drop the heavy bags she was holding. "Hello! Anybody home?"

Katie came into the foyer. "Hey. Need some help?"

"That would be much appreciated." She handed one of the bags over to her sister. "Thanks."

"No problem." The two walked into the dinning room and set the bags down. "Something wrong? You look... frustrated."

"Oh, it's just Tobias. He is getting all 'we need to spend more time with each other' on me."

"Well maybe he's right. Maybe you too need to get together a little more."

Kathy shook her head. "But I want to live my life, not have to be with him and support all _his_ needs."

"But Kath... Tobias is a part of your life. And that is what people in relationships do. They support one another's needs. I think you have just been so busy... you have sort of lost track of that."

Kathy paused for a long moment. "Oh my god... you're right. I've been so caught up in my life and my needs that I haven't even thought about what he needs." Kathy sat down heavily in one of the dinning room chairs. "I guess that since we went to the future and I saw that him and I were together... I've been taking our relationship for granted. Thinking that things will be fine. But in reality I have been ruining it all."

Katie sat down too and gave her sister a light smile. "You just need to focus a little more. And balance yourself out. Do a little work here, a little fighting demons there. But right now, focus some more on Tobias."

"Okay," Kathy said, nodding. "I'll call him after my meeting. Which should begin..." _Ding dong!_ "...Now." She jumped up from her seat and ran to the front door. "Hey, everyone," she said with a smile after opening the door.

Three very professional looking people came in, each giving Kathy a nod as they passed her.

"Let's just go take a seat in the parlor and then I can get you all some tea." She led them past the living room and then into the small parlor. The executives sat themselves down and got comfortable. "I'll be right back." Kathy walked briskly to the kitchen and froze when she got there. "Oh my. There is even more of this than last time."

"Don't worry. I'm working on it." Katie stood over the stove, stirring a potion that was simmering in a large pot.

Kathy's face scrunched up. "Wow. It stinks."

"Yeah, well, that's the smell of cleanliness." She finished stirring and then took out a turkey baster, sucking up some of the potion and distributing it into a waiting bottle. She capped it and then said, "Stand back."

Kathy did so and Katie threw the potion at one of the largest patches of fungus. The was a bang and a puff of smoke. But once it had cleared it was obvious that there had been no change.

Turning to her sister, Kathy frowned. "Uh... nothing happened."

"I can see that. Maybe I got an ingredient wrong. Or maybe that potion wasn't strong enough. I should use the strongest one they have in the Book and one of the spells to go with it."

"You do that. Now I need to make some tea and then get back to my guests."

-x-x-

"Okay, I'm off to kill the demon." Ian had just come into the kitchen as Kathy left it with a tray full of cups filled with steaming hot tea.

Katie glanced up from where she stood at the stove, stirring a stronger potion than the one before. "Did you find anything on this Charisma in the Book?"

"No," Ian said with a shake of his head. "I'm just hoping my power will be enough to vanquish her."

"Okay. Just make sure not to expose us to the person she is trying to kill."

"Don't worry." Ian held up a bottle filled with a dark green liquid. "I made this potion that copies your freezing power. It doesn't last as long, but it should give me enough time. I would ask you to go..." He looked around the kitchen. "But it is obvious that you are busy."

Katie nodded. "I'm a busy little beaver. Now get going. You don't want to get there too late."

"I'm already on my way out." And with that Ian left the manor.

-x-x-

Ian looked at his watched. It was just after one. Mrs. Lamen would be there any minute. As if right on cue, Sherry Lamen passed the spot where Ian was hiding between two cars. He threw the potion at the ground right in front of her and with a small flash of light, she froze.

Ian stepped out from his hiding spot and looked around. "Good. No one here. Yet." Just then there was a shimmer in the air about ten feet away. It was a demon who appeared. But it was not Charisma. This demon was a male, clothed in all black. And as Ian watched, the demon conjured a fireball.

"So it wasn't Charisma."

The demon glanced at Ian, startled by his presence. "Who the hell are you?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

Shrugging, the demon said, "No matter. Two birds with one stone." And with that he chucked the fireball at Ian.

The male witch ducked down. He could feel the heat the fireball radiated and heard the sizzle of it as it flew inches over his head. "Well that was a rude welcoming," Ian said, straightening up. "I think you should be punished." Ian shot out his hands and the demon doubled over in pain, a moment later exploding into a thousand black fragments, each disappearing as they hit the cement.

Ian turned back to Mrs. Lamen. She unfroze just then and continued to walk through the parking garage with no inclination that anything had happened. Ian sighed with relief. He had stopped Mrs. Lamen from being killed. Yet the demon was not who he had thought it would be.

"Ian King?"

Ian turned to the voice. It was Charisma. Hoping she hadn't seen anything magical, Ian smiled. "Hello. Coming back from lunch?"

"Why yes. And you also?"

Ian shook his head. "No, I didn't have a chance to eat lunch. I had some... other business to take care of."

Charisma eyed him for a long moment. "Yes," she finally said. "Well I must be getting back to work. I have an article to write on the food I just ate. Good day." She then passed him and headed for the doors that led into the building.

-x-x-

"All right, thanks for coming. It was a good meeting. And I hoped you guys liked the food!" Kathy closed the door and sighed. "Boy, those people are dull. Didn't even say thank you for the food." She started to walk towards the kitchen when the front door opened behind her. She turned to see Ian coming in. "Hey. What's up?"

Ian closed the manor door and hung his jacket on the coat peg. "Well, Charisma is not a demon."

"...Huh?"

"Oh, right. I didn't get a chance to tell you. I thought the new employee at the office was a demon when I had a premonition of what seemed like her killing someone. But when I went to stop the killing it was just a regular old demon and not Charisma. So, I was wrong, but I still saved the woman who was going to be killed."

Kathy stared at her brother. "Okay then. That made very little sense, but I'll just go with the flow."

"Good plan. So how is Katie doing with the supernatural fungus that currently resides in our kitchen?" Kathy didn't have a chance to respond for a scream suddenly pierced the air. "Katie!" The two siblings ran to the kitchen and burst through the doorway. Katie stood with her back to them. "Kate," Ian said, "What's wrong?"

Katie pointed. "That."

Kathy looked around. All the fungus was gone. Except in one spot; where it had all come together in one great blob. It writhed and shifted, forming into the shape of a human. Yet it's features still did not change. It looked like a human that was covered in a pulsing mud. It had no face. It's hands, if you could call them that, had no fingers. "What is it?" Kathy asked.

"Well," Katie said, "I think I was wrong about it being a magical infestation. I think it's a demon."

"You've got that right." The voice resonated from the blob. It came out all rasping and had a hint of a gurgle. It lifted its hand and a ball of yellowish goo formed in its palm.

"Run!" Ian yelled. The three shot out of the kitchen doorway, and a moment later the ball hit the door as it swung back.

The ball flattened out and hardened. The demon then writhed and slid after the siblings, crashing through the wall and into the dinning room. It shot into the sun room and then around to the living room, and finally ended up in the foyer, cutting off the witches. It reformed into human shape, but grew to be eight feet tall.

"Uh, Ian?" Katie said. "Do your thing."

"Right." Ian shot out his hands and their foe exploded, sending fungus everywhere. But a moment later he started to reform. Yet not as just one demon, butas three.

"Oh, good going," Kathy mused.

Ian was about to snap back at his sister, but there was no time. One of the fungus demons advanced on him. Ian levitated and kicked out at the demon's head. But it suddenly split in half and Ian's foot missed. His momentum from the kick made him flip over in mid-air and then fall face first to the floor. "Ow. That hurt."

The demon launched a yellow goop ball and it hit Ian's back, spreading over him and onto the ground, then hardening. He was trapped.

"Ian!" Kathy yelled. She started to go help her brother, but the fungus demon closest to her shot off a goop ball, sending her into the wall. It too hardened and trapped her.

"Uh oh," Katie said. "Looks like I'm the last witch standing." All three demons slid towards her and sheyelped, turning and running to the kitchen. They followed, slamming through the kitchen door just as Katie shut it. She turned to face them as they formed into just one fungus demon again.

"You cannot win," it said, even though it had no mouth. "There is no way to stop me."

Katie glanced around for some kind of weapon. She grabbed the first thing she saw; a fire extinguisher. Turning the nozzle on the demon she pulled the trigger and the white cloud of foam shot right into the demon's face. It let out a piercing scream and reeled back. Katie continued to spray it. As she did the demon got slower and slower. Finally it stopped screaming. It stopped moving. It was frozen. "Wow. Not just for fire safety." She then hit the frozen demon with the butt of the extinguisher. It crumpled and fell into hundreds of pieces all over the floor.

"Kate!" Kathy's call came from the foyer where she and Ian were still stuck. "Are you okay!"

Katie ran to the foyer, fire extinguisher in hand. "I'm fine and the demon is dead. In a way."

"Great," came Ian's muffled voice. "Now would you please get us out of this stuff?" Katie smiled and sprayed the goo with the extinguisher. It froze and Ian was able to break out of it. She then did the same with Kathy.

"Thanks," Kathy said. "Ugh, now my clothes reek. I think I am going to go change. Then I'm going to give Tobias a call. See if he is free for the night." She smiled and then headed off up the stairs.

"And I," Katie said, "am going to clean up the mess in the kitchen and then orb it into a volcano somewhere. If I don't hurry that demon could come back."

Ian nodded. "Good plan."

-x-x-

"Hey," Tobias said as he opened his door to see Kathy standing there.

"Hi. Um, I was going to call, but I thought I might just surprise you instead." Tobias didn't say anything. "So, can I come in?"

"Are you sure you have enough time? Or do you need to be off at a meeting? Or a demon vanquish? Or something?"

Kathy sighed. "The meeting is over and the demon of the day is vanquished. Look, Tobias. I am sorry about earlier. I was rude and I didn't mean to be. It's just that... I have been focusing so much on my wants and my needs... that I completely forgot about yours. Katie helped me realize that. And she was right. I need to focus more on our relationship if I want us to stay together. And that is exactly what I am going to do. Because I love you, Tobias."

Tobias smiled. "I love you too. Now are you going to come in or not?" Kathy laughed and stepped into the house. Tobias then closed the door.

-x-x-

"Your warrior failed." The high ranking demons were assembled. They stood around Dylan and they were angry.

"It is of no matter. Everything went exactly as I planned," Dylan said with a smile.

"You planned for the witches to kill that demon?"

"Of course. I told you, I wanted to see how they fight. How they think. And I got just what I wanted. The witches can think on their feet. Meaning that I will have to be careful. We all will."

"So, now that you know how they fight, will you kill them?"

Dylan shook his head. "Not yet. I still have future plans for those witches."

"Like what?"

Dylan smiled yet again. "You'll find out soon enough. And so will they."


	44. Dr Jekyll and Mr Demon

A/N: I so have been sick for the past month and a half. Chronic sinius infection, or sinusitis for you medical lingo people. Yeah... Anyway, Ian wrote this. I hate word plays on titles. Hate. Basic quotations, yeah, sure, okay (All Work and No Play); word plays are just wrong (Hulkus Pocus, anyone?). --stops ranting while ahead--

Thanks everyone for the reviews.

* * *

**Episode 2.19:Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Demon**

The demon crept through the dark house, being as quiet as he could. The house owner knew he was there and was hiding. The demon was short, but muscular. He clothes were ripped and hung around him. His eyes were red, his skin was red; and soon his teeth would be red with the blood of his victim.

He stopped outside the doorway to the main bedroom. A whispered and trembling voice came from inside. "Please, he's in my house. Please hurry."

The demon chuckled silently. The police couldn't help this young woman. They wouldn't be there in time. In a second the demon was in the room and upon his victim. She screamed, dropping the phone she had held in her hand. Pulling a knife, the large creature grabbed the woman by the throat and slammed her into the wall. He pushed the knife into her and within a minute she was dead.

He cast the body aside and it fell to the floor with a thud; blood staining the carpet as it seeped from the limp form of the woman. A smile spread across the vile demon's lips. He had done what he had come to do.

"AH!" He clutched his chest as it filled with pain. Falling to the floor the demon rolled around, screaming in pain. His features suddenly changed. He became smaller, skin color changed to that of a human. The fangs in his mouth shrunk and turned into regular teeth. A moment later, what was once a demon, was now a human being.

Light flooded the room. "Police! Freeze!" Several uniformed men rushed in. Two dragged the man to his feet. One other checked the body of the woman. "She's dead," he reported.

"You have the right to remain silent." The man was read his rights as he was handcuffed.

He looked around, confused. "What... What's happening? Where am I?"

"What's happening is you are being arrested for murder," said the police officer who was cuffing the man. He finished reading the rights he was required to give. Then he asked, "Do you understand these rights as I have given them to you?"

The man stood there, stuttering. "But... I didn't do it. I don't even know how I got here."

"Sure ya don't. Save your stories for court." They then started to drag the man out of the house.

"No! I didn't do it! Please, I'm innocent!"

-x-x-

"Kate, look out!"

Katie King orbed out of the way of an energy ball that had been cast at her, which then harmlessly hit a cement wall, leaving only a scorch mark. The young witch reappeared a moment later. "That was close."

Ian turned to the demon who had tried to hurt his sister. "Pick on someone your own species!" He then kicked his foe in the stomach. As the demon doubled over, Ian spun around a gave a roundhouse kick to the demon's head, knocking him to the alley floor.

"Not good enough, witch." The evil creature stumbled to his feat and unleashed an energy ball at Ian.

"Whoa!" Ian ducked out of the way just in time.

"Hey!" Kathy, wearing a long black dress and her hair up in a tight bun, stepped up behind the demon. The foul thing turned to her and swung two punches, both of which Kathy blocked. She then hit him with her own punch. Kathy then grabbed a trash can lid and whacked it across the demons head, making him fall. "Now Kate!"

Katie pulled a vial out of her purse that held a dark green potion. Flinging it with all her might the vial hit the demon and broke. Flames spread over its body and a moment later it combusted.

"Good work Katie," Ian said. "You too, Kathy. You did quite well for someone in a dress."

Pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Kathy sighed. "Well I didn't think I would have to be orbed out to an alley and have to fight a demon when I decided what to wear for that dinner party I went to. Think I can still catch the end of that? Tobias was kind of mad when I said I had to leave. I have been trying to spend more time with him, but things keep getting in the way. Like these demon vanquishes."

"Saving the world must come before relationships, Kath," Katie said to her sister. "Which is something we have all had to learn."

Ian nodded. "Yep. I lost Samantha because I was too wrapped up in all the demon fighting. Dating and magic just don't mix."

"Speak for yourself," Katie said. "My relationship with Nate is getting better. And since he knows this secret, there isn't really anything else about me that would drive him away."

"And I am already dating a witch, so no secret issues there. But still, the time thing. I just don't know how to balance it out. Especially since the supernatural part of my life can't be scheduled."

"Well just do your best," Ian said. "And Katie and I can help out. We can take on more of the supernatural on our own once in awhile."

"Yes," Katie said, with a roll of her eyes. "Kindergarten did teach us to share. Now let's get you back to that party and out of this alley." She grabbed her siblings' hands and orbed them out.

-x-x-

"Good work with the first candidate." Dylan paced in front of a gang of demons. They all stood in a large warehouse that had been abandoned for years. "The man is now in jail. And he has no idea why."

"The human scientist made quite a good potion," the lead demon said. "Well, at first he refused to do anything. But after a little persuading it wasn't too hard to get him to do what we wanted."

A few weeks earlier, just after the King's had vanquished the Fungus demon, Dylan had come to this demon gang to hire them for a very important job. He told them to capture a human scientist and force him to create a concoction that would temporarily turn humans into demons. The potion would throw the person into a fit of rage and make them commit violent acts. And afterwards they would remember nothing.

"Good. I want you to test it out on a few more people. To get out all the kinks... and create more havoc. Then, when I say so, we can get some of this potion to the King manor."

"Why turn them into demons, sir?"

"Because, then one of them will do a violent act, get arrested, and have no idea why. That will split them up. They know they can't use magic for personal gain, so they will have to let the one who did the crime do the time." Dylan shrugged. "Plus, one might get killed in the process."

"I heard that you didn't want to kill them just yet, sir. That you had future plans for them."

"That I do. Yet I only need at least one for my plans. Two would be better, but one will do. The three of them are too powerful together, so I have to take at least one out of the picture."

"But what if they figure out your plans before we can enact them?"

"They won't. I am sending low level demon after low level demon at them to keep them busy and distracted. And if one of them gets killed during an attack, it's an added bonus." He smiled. "Now, tell the Doctor to keep working on those potions. I want everything to be perfect."

The demons nodded. "Yes sir."

-x-x-

Slam! Ian was pushed down onto the dinning room table by a demon trying to strangle him. "Gff hmc ogf!"

"Gff hmc ogf?" Katie repeated. "What the hell does that— Oh, screw it!" She whipped her arm and the hellish creature was telekinetically flung off of Ian and slammed into the wall.

"Thanks," Ian said, gasping for breath.

"No problem. Now blow him up before he has a chance to—" Katie was cut off as the demon launched a fireball at her. She dropped to the floor and just avoided being burnt to a crisp. "—to do that!"

Ian shot out his hands and the demon exploded in a fiery burst. He rubbed his neck and grimaced. "Man, that guy had some grip."

"And he left big red marks. Wonder what people at your office will say." Katie grinned and continued, "If you were a girl you could wear a pretty scarf."

"Yeah, well, I'll just have to settle for some other excuse. Now speaking of excuses, what was Kathy's for not being here for breakfast? She could have helped when this guy attacked."

"Well she never came home last night. She called and said that she was staying over at Tobias's. So they could have some time together. And you know what _that_ means."

"Ew, yes, and ew again. Okay, well I better get to work." He sighed, rubbing his neck again.

"You don't sound too happy about that."

"Yeah. I know. Charisma is being a dragon lady. She really wants my job and is doing every annoying thing she can to try and get me out of there. And hey, it's working. I am really starting to hate going to that place."

Katie nodded. "I can see why. But, you could tell Derek about her or something."

"You want me to tell on her? What, are we in the first grade now?"

Katie held up her hands in mock defense. "Okay, okay. It was just a suggestion. If you don't want her to stop, then fine."

"Well I do, but I'm not going to complain to my boss. That's just cheap. I can deal with her on my own."

"What are you going to do? Blow her up?"

Ian stared down at the ground. "Well, the way you say it, it sounds bad."

"It is bad, Ian. Now come on. We both have to get to work. Move it, move it, move it!"

"Yes ma'am!" Ian yelled sarcastically as the two left the room to go upstairs and get ready.

-x-x-

Kathy smiled at Tobias, watching him eat breakfast and read the newspaper. She loved to just sit and watch him sometimes. Recently she hadn't been able to do much of that. She just had too much to do and too little time to do it in.

Tobias looked up at her and smiled when he saw her staring at him. "What?" he asked, laughing.

"Nothing. I'm just looking at you."

"Do I have something in my teeth?"

"No. You're teeth are fine. I just like to watch you sometimes. Especially when you are reading. You are so cute when you are concentrating."

Tobias laughed again. "Cute huh? Well, I must admit, I sometimes like to just watch you too."

"Well you better," Kathy teased. "Now what is on the agenda today for you?"

"I was invited to see a photo shoot of one of our new men's clothing line. Some of the work is mine, so Tony thought I might want to see it."

"See? You are rising in the ranks of fashion, getting your clothes photographed and all."

"Not rising as fast or as high as you though, Ms. Vice President."

"Only for the women's section. And hey, Tony must have been on drugs when he gave me the position."

"No, he wasn't. You are great. I am surprised it took him that long to see that and give you a better job."

"Okay, flattery session is over," Kathy said with a grin. "Now let's change out of these pajamas and get ready for another hectic day."

-x-x-

Ian sat in his office, at his desk, typing his column. Every few minutes he would stretch and take a sip of his coffee. He was tired. The demon vanquish from that morning had left him exhausted. After almost two years of fighting evil, Ian felt as though he had aged ten years. The fighting kept him and his sisters in shape—they had to be—but it also took a lot out of them.

"Hey." Derek's sharp voice made Ian look up. His boss stood in the doorway. And he did not look happy.

"Hey Derek. What's up?"

"You missed a big opportunity for yourself, that's what."

Ian frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I got a call yesterday from a high class radio station. They wanted to have you on one of their shows and I had to confirm this morning. You were supposed to call me last night but you never did."

"But... you never told me about this." Ian thought back through his memories of the day before. He was sure that Derek had never told him anything on that subject.

"Well I had to leave early yesterday and I didn't have time to talk to you. So I asked Charisma to tell you to give me a call."

"She didn't tell me," Ian protested. "I never even talked to her yesterday."

"Oh. I guess she must have forgotten." Derek sighed. "This could have been a big break for you and would have drawn attention to the paper. Next time, I guess. If there is a next time." He turned and left the room.

"I am going to kill her," Ian muttered to himself. "This is just another way for her to try and get me out of here." Ian got up out of his chair to go have a talk with Charisma when Katie suddenly orbed into the room. "Kate! What are you doing? Derek was just in here. If he had stayed a minute longer he would have seen you orb in."

"Well he didn't," Katie said quickly. She looked hot and flustered.

"What's wrong?"

"Kathy and I were at home for lunch and a demon attacked. We need your help. Kathy is holding him off right now, but we have to get back there right away." Ian nodded and took his sister's hand. She immediately orbed them back to the manor.

-x-x-

Kathy fell to the floor as the demon hit her across the face. "Time to die, witch. Your sister has abandoned you."

"Not a chance," Katie said as she orbed in with Ian. Katie swung her arm and the demon flew back into the living room, landing against one of the chairs and overturning it.

Ian helped Kathy up off the floor. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kathy said with a nod. "I now have a headache, but I'll be fine."

"What is with all the demon attacks?" Katie said.

"I don't know, but let's deal with this one before we have any conversations." Ian pulled his sisters down as their demon enemy shot an energy ball at them. It hit a large mirror on the wall behind the three and was reflected back, hitting the demon in the chest and destroying him.

"Cool," Kathy said. "We didn't even have to say a spell or anything. He did the work for us."

Katie nodded. "It's always nice when they help out in the killing of themselves. Now, I say again, what is with all the demons? We have fought two already today and one yesterday. Is there like a demon convention in town?"

"Wait," Kathy said, holding up her hands. "There was another one earlier today?"

"Yeah, you missed all the fun," Ian said. "We fought and vanquished one after breakfast."

"Huh. Yeah, they are attacking a lot. Think maybe the Source is getting desperate since we vanquished his 'unstoppable' warriors?"

Katie shrugged. "Maybe. But these demons don't seem very powerful. Pretty low level by the usual standards."

"Hence the term desperate," Kathy said. "If it is the Source behind this then he is just sending demon after demon to try and stop us. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Ian asked.

"Unless these attacks are meant to just tire us out. Weaken us so that we are not ready for a big blow."

"Possible," Katie said. "But I'm not too tired. I could take on a few more right now."

Ian hit Katie lightly on the arm. "Hey, don't jinx us. I don't want to fight anymore today. The one this morning was enough."

"But that one was pretty weak."

"Yeah, well, you weren't the one being choked by him, now were you?"

Katie rolled her eyes. "No. But still. We can take whatever the Source throws at us. Remember, the good guys always win."

"I so wish that were true," Kathy said with a sigh. "But you are right. Ever since the Source tried to stop us from coming back to our time he has been weak. The magic he used just took too much out of him. And if he wants a fight he'll get one. And we'll win."

"Let's hope so," Ian said. "Now Katie, can you orb me back to work before someone notices that I have just vanished from my office?"

"Sure," Katie said, taking her brother's hand. "See you later tonight, Kath. I'm just going to orb back to work after I drop Ian off."

"Okay. Bye guys."

"Bye." Katie then orbed Ian and herself out as Kathy went to set the chair back up in the living room.

-x-x-

Once Katie orbed out, Ian left his office and went down the hall to Charisma's. Her door was open and Ian found her to be sitting at her desk talking on the phone. He waited in the doorway until she was finished.

"Yes?" Charisma asked after hanging up the phone.

"How come you didn't tell me that Derek wanted me to call him?"

Charisma shrugged. "Must have slipped my mind."

"Yeah. Right. You deliberately didn't tell me, didn't you?"

"Maybe I did and maybe I didn't. So what? I told you I wanted your job. And if you some how get fired and I indirectly had something to do with it..."

Ian crossed his arms. "Look. This is my job. I'm staying here and there is nothing you can do about it. So you might as well stop trying." He then turned and headed to Derek's office. "Hey, can I talk to you?" Ian asked once he got there.

Derek nodded. "Go ahead."

"I was wondering if it isn't too late to call the radio station. Because I would really like to do this and I don't want to miss out just because Charisma forgot to tell me about it."

Derek sighed. "I'll give them a call and see what I can do. But I make no promises."

"Okay. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now get back to work."

Ian smiled. "Sure thing," he said, and left.

-x-x-

"Is it ready?" Rex, the leader of the demon gang, stood over the scientist they had captured to do Dylan's bidding.

His name was Dr. Jecall. He had known of the supernatural for several years, but hadn't told anyone. He studied magic for three years, trying to come up with potions that could be used to cure sickness much better than any medicine. But now he was being forced to create potions that would change people into demons. He knew he was helping evil, but if he didn't they would kill him.

"After what was seen with these last few tests I have been able to work out all the kinks," Dr. Jecall said, stuttering with nervousness. "So yes, it is ready. This is the final batch." He indicated a bottle that was filled with a clear blue liquid that looked quite similar to Gatorade.

"Good. Now we will take it from here." Rex turned to a demon that stood nearby. "Horklar? Get the package ready. We make our move tomorrow morning."

-x-x-

It was dinner time at the King manor. Nate was over and they were all having a nice, quiet time. No demons had attacked since the one at lunch, making them all quite happy.

"So I have officially set up a section of my company here," Nate said when they were halfway through the meal. "And I have just gotten an office building for it. But now I have to try and find some employees."

"Employees are usually good," Katie said. "Means less work for you."

"That's the plan," Nate said with a laugh. "But anyways—"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence, because at that moment a demon shimmered into the dinning room. "Prepare to die, witches!"

"Don't they ever say anything different?" Katie said, getting up from her seat.

"You know demons," Ian said. "They have low IQs. This is really the extent of their vocabulary." The demon let out a guttural growl and launched a fireball at the eldest sibling. Ian levitated into the air and the fireball shot just below his feet, hitting the wall and leaving a scorch mark. Coming back down to the floor, Ian smiled. "Two can play at that game." He raised his hands and released his lethal power.

Leaping aside, the demon avoided the attack and the window that he had just been standing in front of exploded, sending shards of grass out onto the lawn. "Ha! Not so good now, are you witch?"

All this time Nate had been watching the fight from the side of the room, near the entrance to the kitchen. Now he rushed at the demon and landed a punch across its jaw.

"Nate!" Katie yelled. "What are you doing!"

Nate didn't have a chance to answer, for the demon had just landed a punch of his own. From the force of it Nate was slammed back into the wall, hitting his head and falling into unconsciousness.

"Don't you _dare_ mess with my boyfriend!" Katie shouted. She flicked her wrist and a knife that had been used for cutting their steak flew off the table and embedded itself in the demon's chest. He looked down at it and then back up at Katie as he burst into flames and exploded.

"Let's make sure never to mess with her boyfriend," Kathy whispered to Ian who nodded in agreement. Kathy then went over to Nate and knelt down to heal him.

"What happened?" Nate asked as he came to.

"You tried to fight a demon, that's what happened." Katie stood over him, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. "What were you thinking?"

"I wanted to help. I thought I could take him."

"He's a demon. You're a mortal. You can't fight demons, Nate. You're not strong enough."

"Well thanks. That really helps my self image." He got up from the floor and rubbed the back of his neck.

"You are thinking of your self image? You should be thinking of your safety! This isn't a game, Nate. You could get yourself killed."

"Look, I was just trying to help. I'm sorry." Nate then turned and left the dinning room. A moment later they heard the front door slam.

"He was just trying to help," Kathy said meekly.

"Well he shouldn't. It is our job to fight demons. Not his." Katie then stalked off and went upstairs to her room. There was a slam as Ian and Kathy heard her own door close.  
Kathy sighed. "I guess I better clean up the dishes."

"And I'll try and clean that scorch mark off the wall. I'm getting pretty good at it since I have to do it so often." The two then got started on their separate jobs.

-x-x-

The next morning the three siblings sat in the kitchen eating their breakfast. Katie had made pancakes... and had burnt them.

"Sorry about the pancakes, guys," she said, poking at her own burnt pancake. "I was just thinking about other things and didn't notice. Until they started on fire."

Ian stared down at the food on his plate. "That's okay. You had things on your mind."

Kathy nodded. "Yeah. But I don't think I am going to eat the rest of mine. No offense, but this just isn't your best cooking. I'll grab something on the way to work."

"Speaking of work," Katie said, "we all better get going."

"Actually," Ian said, taking a swig of his coffee, "I am going to do a little training down stairs. All this demon fighting has made my muscles all tense. Got to loosen them up a bit."

Katie raised an eyebrow. "Are you just stalling so you don't have to see Charisma?"

"No! ...Well, yes, partly. But I speak the truth about my tense muscles. And if it so happens that I am stalling as well... so be it. Now you two better get going."

Katie got up from the table and dumped her pancake into the trash. "Okay, I'll see you guys tonight."

"Won't see much of me," Kathy said. "Tobias and I are going out for dinner. And after that we are going back to his place."

"Looks like you and Tobias are on good terms again then, huh?" Katie said with a smile.

"Yes... We are. We haven't fought in days."

"Well that's good," Ian said. "You two can't let petty fights get in the way of your love anyway."

"Good point. Now I have to go. I have a big meeting, then another big meeting, and after that, just for a change of pace, another big meeting. See ya." Kathy discarded her food and then left the room.

Katie turned to leave as well. "If any demon attacks, just give me a call and I'll orb in to help."

"Sure thing. Bye."

"Bye," Katie said, leaving out the back door.

Ian looked down at his food one more time and then chucked it in the trash. "Time for training," he said, going down to the basement.

A minute after Ian went down to the basement a demon shimmered into the empty kitchen. In his hands he held a bottle filled with Dr. Jecall's potion. Yet was in what looked exactly like a Gatorade bottle. The demon opened the fridge, switched the bottle with a real Gatorade, and then shimmered out.

-x-x-

Moments later, but on the other side of town, the demon shimmered into the demonic gang's warehouse.

"Well?" Dylan asked.

The demon bowed and then reported, "My mission was a success."

"Good. Soon one of them will drink that potion... And, oh, the crimes they will commit. It will be quite exciting to see what happens. But I already know the end result. They end up in jail, splitting up their Power of Three."

"Why don't we just kill one? Instead of just putting them in jail. It would be more permanent."

"These witches can't be killed easily. And too many on our side would be killed in the process."

"But wouldn't it be worth it?"

"Silence! I have spent a long time putting together my plans and I can now put them into action. And I don't need petty, low level demons like you trying to change them. All right?"

The demon bowed once again. "Yes sir," he said, and then went back to his other duties.

"Soon my plans will be complete," Dylan whispered.

-x-x-

Ian came up from the basement, wiping perspiration off his face. "Well, that really loosened me up... and tired me out." He opened the fridge and pulled out the last Gatorade bottle. "This will refresh me." He opened the bottle and took several long gulps of the drink. "Ugh, something seems wrong with it."

Suddenly Ian cried out in pain and doubled over. His skin bubbled and writhed. Electricity flowed over him. Ian's eyes glowed and then he fully changed. He was seven feet tall, his skin was green, and his eyes were a bright red. Claws as sharp as razor blades grew from his fingers. He was a demon.

"RAH!" he bellowed in rage. Ian's body then shimmered and he was gone.  
Seconds later he reappeared in an alley way. A women in a white business suit was standing a few feet away, her back turned to him; she was digging threw her purse and muttering to herself.

"Must... kill," Ian breathed. "Must... kill... must... kill..." He grabbed the woman by the neck from behind. She screamed and dropped her purse, it's contents spilling all over. Ian covered her mouth and she scraped at his green hands with her fingernails. But Ian held her tight in his grasp. He then leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You must die." He twisted her head and there was a loud snap. Releasing his hold on her the now dead woman fell to the ground, sprawling and then laying still.

Ian stared down at her for a moment and then screamed in pain. He held his head and shimmered out and back into the manor's kitchen. He began to transform and was himself again just a few moments later.

"Whoa" Ian groaned, rubbing his head. "Zoned out for a second there." He glanced at his watched and groaned again. "And now I have to go to work and try to avoid the dragon lady. The fun just never ends." He put the cap back onto the Gatorade bottle, marked it as his, and then put it back into the fridge. Turning, he left the room and headed up the stairs to get ready for work.

-x-x-

There was a knock on Katie's office door and Kate's friend and coworker, Brittany, came in. "Hey, um, Nate has been calling the front desk. Doesn't he know your cell phone number?"

Katie sighed and nodded. "He does, but I am not answering his calls."

"Why? Did you guys have a fight?"

"Technically. But more like got in the way of one," Katie muttered.

"Well I hope you two make up. But he can't keep calling here at the office. If the boss finds out, he'll be mad. 'No personal phone calls unless it's an emergency,'" Brittany said in a mocking voice of their boss, Mr. Knight.

Katie laughed. "Okay. If he calls again just tell him my cell is dead and I will talk to him tonight."

"Okay," Brittany said with a nod. "See ya." Brittany left and closed the door behind her.

A muffled ringing came from Katie's purse and she pulled out her cell phone. It was Nate calling. "Ugh, can't he understand that I don't want to talk right now?" Katie chucked her phone back into her purse and got back to work.

-x-x-

Derek came into Ian's office with a smile on his face. "Well, I did it."

"Did what?" Ian asked, looking up from his computer.

"I called back the radio station. You're in."

"Oh that's great! When do I go?"

Derek shrugged. "They'll call us about the details, but I am guessing a month. Maybe a little less."

"Great. Thank you so much."

Derek nodded. "You're welcome," he said, and left.

Ian saw Charisma just outside the door. Her arms were crossed and she was glaring. "Looks like I won this round," Ian said with a smile.

-x-x-

That night Ian and Katie sat in the dinning room eating dinner. Kathy was off on her date with Tobias and the evening had been quite quiet. There had not been one demon attack all day.

"I guess they decided to quit, seeing as we took out every single one that attacked," Ian said.

"Unless, if it is the Source behind this, he is just coming up with another plan. Or maybe these attacks were to distract us from something bigger."

"Like what? I haven't had any premonitions and none of us has seen anything out of the ordinary."

"Well maybe that's the point. These demons attack and we don't notice any other stuff."

Ian shook his head. "I don't think so. I think they were just a desperate attempt by the Source to try and kill us again." He took a sip from his glass and waited to speak again until after he had swallowed. "Everything will be fine."

Slam! The sound of the front door bursting open made the two siblings jump. Just seconds later several police officers rushed into the room, guns raised; and pointed at Ian and Katie.

"What is going on here?" Ian yelled.

A man in a business suit came in behind the police officers and held up a badge. "Ian King?"

"Yeah, that's me. What do you think you are doing just coming into our house like this?"

"We have a warrant." The man nodded to one officer. "Cuff him."

"What!" Ian and Katie yelled at the same time.

The officer pulled Ian to his feet and started to put hand cuffs on him. "Ian King, you are under arrest for the murder of Sandra Beck. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can be used against you in a court of law." The officer continued to read Ian his rights as Katie sat there stunned. "Do you understand these rights as I have given them to you?" the officer asked when he was done.

"Yeah, but I didn't murder anyone," Ian protested.

"We'll see about that," the man in the business suit said. "Take him to the cruiser, John."

The officer began to pull Ian towards the entrance to the manor. Katie raised her hands to freeze the room, but Ian shook his head. "Get Kathy," he said. "I don't know what happened, but we will figure it out. Just don't do anything stupid." He emphasized on the last word, telling her not to use magic.

Katie nodded, still in her seat at the table. "Don't worry, I won't." Once Ian and the police were gone Katie rushed for the phone.

-x-x-

Kathy took a bite of her food and smiled. "These people sure know how to cook." She and Tobias sat in one of the fanciest restaurants of New York, eating very high quality food.

"That's why I brought you here. You deserve the best," Tobias said with a smile.  
Kathy blushed. "Thank you." The two had been talking a laughing the whole time. Not once had either of them brought up or even thought of the fights that they had been having. They were both happy and didn't want anything to disrupt that.

Ring ring! Kathy groaned as she heard her cell phone ringing. "Sorry, it could be Katie or Ian. I hope it wasn't another you-know-what." She pulled her phone out and pushed the talk button. "Hello?"

"Kathy, it's Kate. You have to come home _now_."

"Katie, what is it?" Kathy asked. Her sister sounded frantic. "Did another..." She glanced around and whispered, "Did another demon attack?"

"No, no demon," Katie said.

"Then what is it? What's wrong?"

"Ian's been arrested."

-x-x-

Ian sat in a jail cell, glancing around nervously. He didn't know what the police had been talking about. He hadn't murdered anyone. "I think I would have known if I had," he muttered.

The man in the business suit from before came into the cell. His name was Detective Peters. He came and stood in front of Ian who sat on the barren bed. "You say you don't remember doing this at all?"

Ian shook his head. "I told you. I got up, had breakfast, worked out, and then went to work. That's all."

"You weren't in an alley on Fourth at ten this morning?"

"No. I was at home, like I said."

Peters pulled out a photo of a woman. "So you don't remember her?" He held out the photo to Ian.

Ian took it and felt a rush of psychic energy flow through him. His eyes flew shut and he saw himself in the kitchen of the manor. He saw himself transform and shimmer out. The scene changed to an alleyway and Ian saw himself snap the neck of the woman from the picture. The scene changed once again to the kitchen of the manor and he saw himself change back to his regular form.

Ian opened his eyes as the vision ended. "So that's why I zoned out," he whispered.

"What?" Peters asked.

"Um, no. No, I have never seen her before."

Peters shook his head and took the photo back. "I know you did it, King. Particles of your skin were under her finger nails and your prints were on her neck. You killed this woman. And you are going to pay for it." Peters then turned and left the cell.

"Okay," Ian whispered. "It's demonic. Now I just have to figure out a way to get out of this mess."

-x-x-

Kathy burst into the manor and slammed the door behind her. "Kate!" she called out.

Katie came into the foyer. "Hey, you made it."

"Yeah, I ran out of there as fast as I could. After explaining as best as I could to Tobias. He wanted to come help, but I said we could take care of it. We can take care of it, right?"

"I don't know. They came in, said he had murdered some lady, and then took him away."

"Well it couldn't possibly be him. Ian wouldn't murder anyone. ...Well, demons, maybe, but they're evil."

"I know, I just don't understand how this could—" Katie stopped and glanced around.

"What? What is it?"

"It's Ian. He's calling. Let's go." Katie grabbed her sister's hand and orbed the both of them out of the manor.

A moment later the two orbed into Ian's jail cell. Ian was sitting on the bed and looked up when they orbed in. "Hey guys," he whispered. "Okay, we have to talk quick before someone comes along and sees you in here. It's not exactly visiting hours."

Kathy smiled. "In jail and he still has a sense of humor."

"Shush!" Katie hissed. "Now, Ian, talk."

"Okay. I killed the woman."

Katie and Kathy stood there stunned. "Wait, what?" Katie finally managed to get out. "You killed her? Ian, how—"

Ian held up his hand. "It was me but it wasn't. I don't know how but somehow I was turned into a demon and I killed the woman. And then when I transformed back I didn't remember anything."

"How do you know all this?" Kathy asked.

"I had a vision when they gave me a picture of the woman."

"Okay," Katie said, "what do you think changed you into a demon?"

"I don't know. ...Unless it was that Gatorade I drank."

"I knew it," Katie whispered. "I always hated that stuff and I told you not to get it, but noooo..."

"Katie, stop," Kathy said and then turned back to Ian. "How could Gatorade turn you in to a demon?"

"I guess it wasn't Gatorade. Someone must have switched it or something. I don't know."

"Okay, so how do we find out who switched it?" Katie asked.

"Get me that bottle of Gatorade. It's the only one in the fridge. Bring it here and maybe I can get a vision of where it came from."

Katie nodded. "We'll be right back." Katie took Kathy by the hand and orbed them out.

-x-x-

"Well?" Kathy asked.

Ian opened his eyes. "Okay, I saw... a warehouse, demons, potion making, ... and something else. No... someone."

"Who?" Katie asked.

Ian shook his head. "I don't know. They were shrouded in darkness. Maybe it was the Source."

"Okay, so do you know where this warehouse is?" Kathy asked, glancing nervously at the cell's entrance.

"Yeah, I got an address. Now, guys, we are going to have to do something illegal."

"What?" Katie asked.

"You guys have to break me out of jail."

"Ian, we can't do that," Kathy said. "And we can handle these demons on our own."

"No," Ian said with a shake of his head. "I saw a whole gang of demons. This is going to require all three of us."

"But what about the police?"

"We'll figure that out later. Now come on," Ian said, standing up. "Let's get back to the manor and get ready. Then we'll go to the warehouse and take care of the bad guys."

Katie sighed. "Are you sure about this? What if we can't find a way to get you out of this?"

"As I said, we can figure that out later." He held out his hand. "Let's go."

Katie nodded and took his hand along with Kathy's and orbed them back to the manor.

-x-x-

"One of the witches should be in jail by now," Rex laughed. "This has been so easy. And we are getting paid quite well for it, too."

"The witches can't stop us now," another demon said.

"Wrong." Katie orbed in with Ian and Kathy.

"But," Rex said, backing away, "there's only supposed to be two of you."

"We had a little jail-break," Ian said with a smile.

"Kill them!" Rex yelled.

The seven other demons of their eight demon group rushed towards the three siblings. Ian blew one up and then rushed into the fray, kicking and punching.

Katie grabbed one by the arm that had attacked her and flipped him onto his back. She pulled a potion out of her jacket and dropped it on the demon who burst into flames upon contact.

Kathy had run in right behind Ian and they fought back to back, holding the demons off with their martial arts skills. Kathy wasn't as good as her brother, but she had learned from him quickly and was doing quite well.

A demon then got in a lucky punch to Kathy's stomach and she fell back onto the cement floor. "Ouch!" she cried out, but then raised her hands and two bright beams shot out and knocked the demon back into several of his allies; they all crashed to the floor in a crumpled heap.

Ian helped his sister to her feet and Katie ran over to stand next to them. She pulled out another potion and threw it at the group of three demons that Kathy had knocked over. They all screamed in pain as they went up in flames and exploded.

Ian took out the last two demons with his explosive power and then turned to see Rex running up some stairs to a cat walk above. "Oh no you don't." He leapt into the air and levitated up onto the cat walk, blocking Rex's path. The demon threw an energy ball, but Ian ducked and then grabbed Rex by his shirt and hurled him over the edge of the cat walk. The demon fell and landed with a hard thud on the cement floor.

"Nuh uh!" Katie said, holding up a potion bottle as Rex got to his feet and tried to run. "You make one move and you're vanquished." Rex stopped and didn't move a muscle.

Ian descended the steps and came to stand next to his sisters. "Okay, why did you do what you did? ...Wait, no, stupid question. You did it because you're a demon. Next question: Who sent you? Was it the Source?"

Rex laughed. "You mean you don't know?"

Katie raised her eyebrows. "Know what?"

"The Source is dead. Has been for a few weeks."

The three siblings stared at Rex. Ian was the one who finally spoke up. "The Source is dead? We didn't kill him. So who did?"

Rex shrugged. "Someone who wanted to be the new leader of the Underworld I guess," he said, not looking at them.

"You're not telling us everything," Kathy said. "I can sense it." Rex didn't say a word.

"Kathy, can you use your telepathy to read his mind?" Ian asked.

Kathy shook his head. "No, I'm not that powerful yet. All I can get from him is that he is hiding something. And whatever he is hiding he is afraid of it."

"It must be whoever has taken over the Underworld," Ian said. "Tell us who it is or we'll vanquish you."

Rex stood there silent. Suddenly an arrow shot from a shadowed corner and pierced Rex through the heart. He cried out and then exploded.

"Whoa!" Katie yelled. "What just happened?"

"There is someone else here," Ian said. The three ran over to where the arrow had come from but they found nothing. "Well, whoever shot it is now gone."

There was a noise behind them and they all spun around to see a man in a long white coat running for the exit. "Hey!" Katie yelled. "Stop!" The man did stop and the three ran up to him. "Who are you?" Katie asked. She held her hands up slightly so she could freeze the man if necessary.

"I'm Dr. Jecall," he said nervously. "I assume you are the King siblings."

Ian nodded. "That's us. Why are you here?"

"The demons... they forced me to create that potion for them. The one that would temporarily change people into demons. The one that would send them into a mad rage and make them want to kill. The one where they wouldn't remember anything afterwards."

"Yeah," Ian said, "we know about the potion. They forced you to create it?"

"Yes. I have known about the supernatural for several years and was trying to make potions that would cure sicknesses. But then they found out about me and captured me and took me here."

"Did you tell anyone else about your knowledge of magic?" Kathy asked.

Dr. Jecall shook his head. "No, never."

"Hey," Katie said, "Do you know who hired these demons?"

The doctor shook his head again. "No, I never saw their master. I'm sorry I can't help you."

"It's all right," Ian said. "Okay, you better get out of here. Just... don't ever tell anyone that you know about magic."

"Don't worry. I won't." Dr. Jecall then ran out of the warehouse.

"Well," Kathy said, "it seems there is someone new after us. Someone powerful enough to kill the Source."

"Whoever it is, we'll take care of them," Katie said. She took her brother and sister's hands and orbed them to the manor's foyer.

"Now for our next problem," Ian said once his feet touched down on the foyer's carpet.

The front door burst open and three police officers rushed in with their guns raised. Several more came in from the back of the house. The three were surrounded.

"Get your hands up!" one officer yelled. "Get them up and no—" The man suddenly froze, his mouth open. All the other officers were frozen as well.

"Katie," Ian said. "Why did you freeze them?"

"I didn't," Katie whispered.

"Then who did?" Kathy asked.

"We did," a voice came. There was a sparkle of white lights and two men in perfectly white suits appeared in front of them.

"Who are you?" Ian asked.

"The Cleaners," one of them said. "Our job is to make sure that magic does not get exposed. And also to clean up several magical messes. Such as this one."

The other Cleaner nodded. "We know that the demons were the ones that made the potion that changed you. It was not your fault that the woman died."

"So now we will clean this up," the first said.

"How?" Katie asked.

"We can change things. Change memories as well. Don't worry. The police won't know what happened."

"But what about the woman I killed?" Ian asked. "Can you bring her back.

"No," the first Cleaner said solemnly. "We don't have that power. All we can do is make it so no one knows who killed her."

"That doesn't make it right, though," Ian said. "What about her friends? Her family? They will never know who her killer was. It's not right."

"But it is the best we can do. Now we will also change the memory of this Dr. Jecall. He will not be a threat to magic anymore. Now it's time to leave. You may see us again someday."

"But—" Ian was cut off as the Cleaner waved his hand and there was a bright flash of white light. The three siblings stood in the foyer. The Cleaners were gone and so were the police.

"Well," Kathy said, "I'm glad that's over. Now I have to try and salvage the rest of my date." She gave her brother and sister a little wave and then left the manor.

"We better get some rest," Katie said. "It's been a long day."

Ian didn't move. He stared at the floor. "I'll never be okay with what happened. But... I know it wasn't my fault. And if I was in jail then we couldn't continue to save the world." He looked up at his sister. "So I guess it's for the best."

Katie nodded. "We got revenge for that woman. And we have to try and make sure that stuff like this doesn't happen again. Now go on up to bed. Get some well earned rest." Ian nodded and went up the stairs.

Katie sighed and then turned as there was a knock on the front door. When she opened it she saw Nate standing there. "Look, Nate, it's kinda late. And we've had a long day around here."

"Sorry. I just wanted to come and apologize. I got in the way when I should have just stayed on the side lines. It's just... I see you fight all these creatures and I feel that I need to help out somehow."

"You do help," Katie said. "You are the person I can go to after a fight and just relax with. You are one of the people in my life that keep me sane and help me deal with all this stuff."

Nate smiled. "Really?"

Katie pulled Nate in close and kissed him. "Really. Just leave the fighting to me and my siblings from now on, okay?"

"Okay. So... Can I come in?"

"I think there is a strong possibility," Katie said with a smile. She took Nate by the hand and pulled him into the manor and closed the door.

-x-x-

"AGH!" Dylan screamed in rage and threw a small boulder into the cavern wall. "Those witches got so close to finding out about me. And they are still at full strength!" A small demon skittered into the room and over to Dylan. "What do you want?"

"Sorry for the intrusion sir, but..." He whispered something into Dylan's ear.

"Ah... Good, this is very good. You may go." The demon did so. "This part of my plan may have failed, but no matter. The next phase is ready to begin. And when everything is complete, those witches won't even know what hit them."


	45. Scavenger Hunt

A/N: So... Yeah. Hi. Since school is just ending for me, and Ian and AKhas been also preoccupied with it and something they call "life," we haven't really been simming much. However, that doesn't really explain why I put this off for two weeks.

Thanks, Unique-Reflection for your review. You're great :D

Ian wrote this, again, so... yeah, kudos to him!

* * *

**Episode 2.20: Scavenger Hunt**

"You're keeping your left side open," Ian said, shooting a kick into Kathy's left rib.

"Thanks for telling me," Kathy said, rubbing her side.

The two of them were in the manor's basement having a training session. Both of them had several bruises and beads of sweat dripped from their foreheads.

"Come on," Ian said, raising his fists. "Again."

Ian swung his right arm and Kathy ducked. She shot a punch at Ian's lower abdomen, but the attack was blocked. Ian then spun and gave a sharp kick to Kathy's stomach, making her stumble back.

"All right," Kathy said, panting. "That does it." She rushed at her brother, but Ian suddenly levitated up and grabbed onto one of the wooden beams that ran across the basement's ceiling. Kathy couldn't stop with the speed she was going at and crashed into a chair that had been behind Ian, flipping over it and landing on her back. "...Ow."

Ian let go of the beam and dropped back down to the floor. He turned around and smiled at his sister laying on the floor of the basement. "You almost had me there."

"I would have if you hadn't levitated," Kathy said, slowly getting to her feet.

"Well, you have to expect the unexpected. You, Katie, and I have to be ready; prepared. There is someone new after us. Someone who is powerful enough to have killed the Source. We have to be on our toes."

"Yeah, yeah," Kathy muttered as she rubbed her bruised knee. "But if I keep training with you like this then I will be too injured to fight this new threat."

Ian laughed. "Come on," he said, heading for the stairs. "Let's go and get refreshed."

The two headed up the stairs and into the kitchen. Katie was sitting at the table and glanced up when they came in. "Hey. I heard a crash. Is everything okay?"

Ian nodded. "Everything is fine. Kathy just slammed into a chair and fell over."

"It's Ian's fault," Kathy said, slumping into a chair at the table. "He cheated by using his powers."

Katie frowned and looked at Ian. "You tried to blow her up and it knocked her back into a chair?"

"No. I levitated out of the way of her attack. She slammed into that chair on her own."

"I still think it's cheating," Kathy muttered.

"As I said downstairs, you need to expect the unexpected. We need to be ready for this new threat. Whoever it may be."

-x-x-

Dylan nodded as one of his attendants spoke to him. When the attendant was done, Dylan smiled. "Good. You have found out where that ritual book is. I am going to need it if I am to succeed. Now the question is, who to send to get it?"

"If I may suggest, sir," the attendant said, "What about Grayham? He is fierce. And strong."

"Yes," Dylan said with a nod. "He will do." Dylan waved his hand and the air shimmered before him.

A demon with gray skin appeared. His eyes were all black and he had long, dirty red hair. "Why have you summoned me here?" he growled.

"I have a job for you."

"And that is?"

"I want you to steal a book for me."

"A book? Why?"

"Because, it is very important. Now, will you accept this job? If you succeed I will give you a great reward."

Grayham thought for a moment and then nodded. "I will do it. So where is this book?"

-x-x-

Ian opened the door and went into the Wiccan shop, muttering to himself. "Oh, Ian," he said, mocking Katie's voice. "Can you go pick up some toad flax for me? It's just that I am late for work. Not that you aren't, but my job is more important. It's not like I can orb anywhere I want to in the blink of an eye, oh no."

"Can I help you?" a woman asked from behind the shop's counter. She wore a long black dress with a black shawl draped over her shoulders.

"Um, yeah. Where's your toad flax?" The woman pointed to a shelf and Ian grabbed a bag off of it and then set it on the counter.

"Will that be all?"

Ian nodded. "Yes, that's all."

The woman rang up the price and Ian set the money down on the counter. The woman closed the register and picked up the bag of toad flax, holding it out to Ian.

As their hands brushed Ian's eyes shot closed and he was sucked into a premonition. He saw that shop that he was in, yet it was darker. The woman in black was cleaning the place up when a demon crashed through the glass door. His eyes were black, his hair was long, and he leapt at the woman, taking her down to the floor.

Ian opened his eyes and let out a breath. "Whoa," he whispered.

"Is everything all right?" the woman asked him, concern etched on her face.

"Um, yes. Everything is fine. I... I gotta go. Thanks!" He then grabbed up the bag of toad flax and ran out of the shop.

-x-x-

Dylan sat in his Underworld cavern, rifling through a large book that had belonged to the deceased Source. His attendant stood nearby, watching. "I need something to keep those three witches busy for a time. I need them out of the way so they don't interfere with Grayham's mission. If they get that book they could find out what I am up to. And we can't have that, now can we?"

The attendant shook his head. "No, sir. No we can't."

"That's right. Now the question is... What to use to get them out of my way?" He stopped on one page and smiled. "Yes. Oh, yes this will be perfect. I'll send them there. They will be trapped, without their powers, and it will detain them long enough for me to complete the next stage of my plan. Also, one or two might be killed in the process."

"Where are you going to send them?" the attendant asked.

Dylan looked up and smiled. "Scavenger Island."

-x-x-

Katie orbed into an alley that was close to the Wiccan shop with her two siblings. "You sure this is the right time, Ian?"

"Well, by the length of the shadows I am guessing it was just before sunset. So... I hope I am right."

"I hope you are right too," Kathy said. "Because I don't want to be waiting for this demon to show up. I have a date with Tobias tonight, so we have to do this quickly."

"Kathy!" Ian hissed. "Saving an innocents life is more important than your date."

"Oh shush, Ian," Katie said. "I want to get this over with too. I have to go back into work tonight to finish up the stuff I didn't get done because of you and your premonition."

Ian crossed his arms and glared at his sisters. "Well excuse me for being the only sane one here. The supernatural must always come before—"

Kathy held up her hand, silencing Ian. "Save the speech, bro. Let's just go vanquish the demon. What did you say his name was again?"

Ian sighed. "Grayham. A middle class demon mercenary. Known for eating his victims alive."

"Oh, ew," Katie moaned, covering her mouth. "Don't say anymore. Do you have the potion?"

Ian nodded and pulled out a vial from his jacket that was filled with a blue liquid. "Right here."

"Okay," Katie said. "Let's do this."

"Sorry," came a voice from behind them. "But I can't let you go to that shop." The three turned to see a man standing there. He was dressed in a long red robe and black gloves. His head was cleanly shaved and he had a strange tattoo on his forehead.

Ian frowned. "Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Rashal and I am here to take you away."

"Take us where?" Kathy asked.

"You will find out soon." Rashal raised one of his gloved hands and a portal opened up behind the siblings. In moments they had been sucked in and the portal closed after them. Rashal smiled and then disappeared in a flash of red light.

-x-x-

Clara, the woman in black, strode around the Wiccan shop blowing out candles and doing her regular clean up. Once she had finished she turned to lock the front door.

_Crash!_ The glass window of the door blew in as someone slammed through it, sending shards of glass all over the floor. It was Grayham. He bared his teeth at Clara and then jumped on her, tackling the poor woman to the ground. She screamed as the demon ripped into her with his teeth, but after a few minutes, all was silent.

-x-x-

Ian groaned and opened his eyes. Above him was a clear blue sky. "What the... Wasn't it sunset just a second ago?" He sat up and looked around. His sisters were sitting a few feet away. And they were all sitting on a grassy plain. Off to the left was a long beach, a huge ocean of water licking at the shore, no other land in sight. To the right was a thick forest of trees. "Where are we?" Ian asked, getting to his feet.

"I don't know," Kathy said, shaking her head. "Just please don't tell me that we have gone back into the past again."

"Oh, no. Nothing like that," came a voice. The siblings turned to see Rashal standing just a few feet away. "No, you are still in the same time period."

"But obviously not in New York anymore," Katie mused.

Rashal chuckled. "You are correct."

"Then where are we?" Ian asked. "Tell me now before I blow you to pieces."

Another chuckle emanated from Rashal. "Sorry, but I don't think you can do that at the moment."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you can't blow me up. Because you don't have your powers at the time being."

"And why not?" Ian asked, his temper flaring.

"Because they have been stripped from you, all of you, and spread across the island."

"We're on an island?" Kathy asked.

"Yes. Scavenger Island to be precise," Rashal said, grinning.

"Why have we been brought here?" Katie asked.

"To play a game. As I have said, this is Scavenger Island. The game is that you need to find your powers. Mind you, they are not all in one spot. Kathy's powers may be on one side of the island and Ian's on the other. Once you find all of them, you win the game and are sent home."

"What if we refuse to play?" Ian asked.

"Then you will stay here for the rest of your lives. Which might not be that long without your powers."

Katie glanced at her brother. "Ian, I think we better play the game." She looked back at Rashal and said, "So how do we find our powers?"

"First, I will give you a map of the island." Rashal snapped his fingers and a map appeared in Ian's hands. "And then I will give you one clue to start you off. You search the island for clues that will help you find your powers. Then you use the map to lead you there. Sound simple? It's not. On your journey you will encounter many obstacles. You must overcome them. And at each place where one of your powers resides is a bigger obstacle. And, as I said, find all your powers and you win."

"I hope we find my powers first," Katie muttered. "Then we can just orb around the island to get the rest."

Rashal shook his head. "I don't think so. Even if you find your powers before the others, your orbing power will be inactive. This is a no cheating game."

Katie crossed her arms. "Well that sucks."

Ian sighed. "Okay, we can do this. We just have to work together. Now let's just get it over with. Tell us the clue."

-x-x-

Grayham held an old book with yellow tinted pages out to Dylan. "Got the book. And killed that stupid Wiccan. She was quite tasty."

Dylan took the book away from Grayham. "Please, don't go into your gory details."

"What, you have a weak stomach?"

"No," Dylan said with a fierce glare. "I just... prefer not to hear about it. It's a waste of my time." He picked up a small bag and tossed it to Grayham. "There's your reward. You may now leave."

Grayham nodded. "You may call on me again at anytime. Anytime other than my feeding time that is." He chuckled and then shimmered out.  
Dylan shook his head and sat down, opening the book. "Ah yes... Here is the spell I am going to need. This is perfect. And there was no trouble in getting this. Those witch siblings can come back at anytime."

-x-x-

"The first of your powers lies quite near," Rashal said. "Now, listen to this riddle to find out where it is." He cleared his throat and then started the riddle. "I have a start, I have an end. I am a long line with many bends. I can be harsh, I can be kind. In me, the first of your powers you will find."

Katie thought it over quickly and answered before her siblings could figure it out. "Well that's easy. It's a river. But how are we supposed to know which part of the river to look in?"

Rashal shrugged. "You must figure that out on your own." He then vanished in a flash of red light.

"Good work with the riddle, Kate," Kathy said.

"Thanks."

"Okay," Ian said, his voice serious, "Let's hurry up and get this whole stupid thing over with. We still have an innocent to save." He then opened up the map. "This river is just a few yards into that forest." Ian folded up the map and then started off into the forest at a brisk pace. His sisters followed.

They had been walking for only a few minutes when a huge and long green object shot out from the branches above and grabbed Ian around the waist. He was pulled up into the air and then flung to the ground.

"Ian!" Katie ran to her brother's side and helped him up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. What was that thing?"

"A snake," Kathy said. She was staring at a point about ten feet away.

Her brother and sister turned to look and saw a snake. A very large snake. It was almost fifteen feet tall, it's body longer since its front half was the only erect part of it. It stared at them with its black eyes, it's tongue flicking out of it's mouth to taste the air around it.

"Don't make any sudden moves," Ian whispered. The snake suddenly launched itself at Ian and Katie and the two leaped out of the way, causing the snake to slam its head into a tree, stunning it. "On second thought," Ian said, getting to his feet, "Just run!"

The three siblings ran through the forest. They could hear the snake coming after them. And it was gaining.

"How do we stop this thing?" Kathy yelled.

Ian saw a large tree up ahead. It's base was rotted and looked ready to fall over. "We'll trap it!" he yelled back. He grabbed Katie's hand and pulled her off to the side, next to the tree. "Kathy, distract the snake and get it to come to you. Then we will push this tree over and onto it."

Kathy nodded and got into position. "Ready!"

Ian nodded. "Okay, Kate. Get ready to push with all your might."

The snake suddenly burst out of the bushes and rushed at Kathy who was waving her arms and yelling.

"Now, Kate! Push!" Ian and Katie pushed on the rotting tree with all their strength. It creaked and groaned and toppled over. The tree crashed down onto the snake, a little behind its head, trapping it.

Katie and Ian went over and stood next to Kathy. "Nice plan, big brother," Katie said with a smile. The snake was now whipping its tail and furiously trying to escape. "But let's get out of here before he gets out from under that tree."

Ian nodded. "Good idea. Come on. I think I hear the river close by."

They made their way through the forest and soon found a large river. There was a waterfall just to the right.

"I feel something," Kathy whispered.

"What do you mean?" Katie asked.

"Like... something is pulling me to the base of that waterfall. I think it's my powers. They are really close."

"This is good," Katie said. "Now we don't have to search the whole river. And it will work with our other powers too, I think. When we are close to them... we'll know."

"Well, Kath," Ian said. "I guess you have to go swimming."

"And get my hair wet?"

"Do you want your powers back or not?"

"Fine," Kathy said. "I guess the status of my hair pales in comparison to getting out of here."

"Yes," Ian said with a nod.

"Okay," Kathy said. "Here goes." She went to the edge of the river, looked down, and jumped in.

"Hope she doesn't run out of air," Katie whispered.

"I don't think she will. She can do this. She's a good swimmer."

"She is?"

"...Actually, I don't know. I have never seen her swim."

Katie shook her head. "Sad. But we haven't exactly had time. Our schedule is just booked all the time with demon vanquishes and normal work and relationships."

"Oh yeah... Oh, look! Here she comes!"

Kathy had just surfaced and was swimming back to shore. "I got them! I got my powers back!" Before she could reach the shore though, hands suddenly sprang out of the water and grabbed onto her.

"What the?" Katie looked to see who had grabbed her sister as Ian rushed out to help. "They're mermaids!"

"I thought you guys told me that mermaids were on the good side," Kathy screamed as she struggled to get free. She managed to break free of the hands holding her and turned to face them. A blinding burst of light blasted from her palm and knocked the mermaids away from her. She then swam as fast as she could to the shore, Ian helping her out of the water when she got there.

"Well," Katie said, "I guess these were the evil kind. And we only encountered one group of mermaids before. They were nice ones."

"Well these ones weren't," Kathy muttered. "And I am soaked!"

"On the bright side, you got your powers back," Ian said.

"Yeah," Katie said. "What happened anyway?"

"Well, I swam down and saw this ball of light near the bottom. When a touched it I felt my powers flow back into me."

Ian nodded. "Okay, good. We just have to touch them to get them back. No funky spell or anything. Now, where to go to find the next of our powers?"

There was a flash of red light off to the side and Rashal appeared. "The next of your powers is up on top. Do the three of you have the stuff to make it without being stopped?" He then flashed out again.

"I hate that guy," Katie said.

"Me too," Ian said, pulling out the map. "Okay, there is a mountain on here. I am guessing that's what he meant and that the next set of powers is at the top of it."

-x-x-

"I'm hot," Kathy moaned. The three siblings were trekking up a mountain side, the sun blaring down on them.

"Well at least it seems to be drying your clothes," Katie mused, wiping sweat off her forehead.

"I'd rather be wet then hot."

"Oh stop complaining," said Ian, who was leading the trio.

"Yeah, Kath, that's usually Ian's job," Katie said with a laugh. "You are stealing his bit."

"You're right, sis." Kathy smiled, getting into it. "I'm sorry, Ian. I will not be like you and complain. That's your thing."

Ian turned on them and glared. "I do not complain." Katie and Kathy burst out laughing. "... Stop that. Okay, so I complain _sometimes_, but not always. Now can we please keep going? This heat is killing me and I want to get back to our own—" Ian stopped as he was cut off by a rumbling noise. "Where is that noise coming from?"

Katie and Kathy stared past Ian, their faces now white. "Right there," Katie said, pointing behind Ian and up the wide pathway that wrapped around the mountain.

Ian turned around and yelled. A large boulder was rolling down the path, heading straight for them. "Run!" The three started running back down the way they had come, but the boulder was catching up to them and would crush them when it did.

"What do we do!" Katie yelled. "We can't get out of the way and we can't out run it!"

Kathy stopped running and turned to face the boulder. "I've got an idea." She held up her arms, palms facing the oncoming boulder. Kathy then shot a continuous blast of her psychic pulses at the boulder to try and slow it down. The beams hit the rock, but it kept coming. Kathy kept it up and the boulder started to slow. Just before it rolled over Kathy, the boulder came to a halt.

"You did it, Kath," Ian said.

Kathy dropped her arms to her sides and then sat down, breathing heavily. "Yeah, but that took a lot out of me."

Katie knelt next to her sister and patted her on the back. "Hey, I know you're tired and I know you just used a huge amount of energy... But we have to keep going."

"Yeah, yeah," Kathy said, getting up. "Let's get moving."

-x-x-

"Okay," Katie whispered to her siblings. "We've reached the top and my powers are just a few yards away. But there is a huge rock monster guarding them. ...What do we do?"

Katie, Kathy, and Ian were all crouched behind a large rock. They had reached the top just a few minutes before to find that Katie's powers were being watched by a twenty-foot tall rock monster.

Ian turned to Kathy. "You think you can knock it off the mountain with your psychic pulses?"

Kathy shook her head. "Too weak. I'd be lucky if I could knock over a chair right now. Not that there are any chairs around here, but you get my point."

"Well how the hell are we supposed to get past that guy?" Katie hissed.

"Maybe I could..." Kathy started.

Katie waited for her continue but then lost her patience. "Maybe you could what!"

"Ssh!" Ian told Katie. "Big rock guy might hear you."

"Does he even have ears?" Kathy asked.

Katie hit her sister lightly on the arm. "Who cares? Now tell me your plan."

"Well I'm not sure if it would work, since I'm pretty weak right now. But I think I could use my telepathy to make him think he heard something over that way." Kathy pointed over towards a large bunch of rocks on the left. "Then when he goes to investigate, we run for your powers."

Katie smiled. "You are just full of good ideas today."

"Thanks. Now let's just hope this one works." Kathy peeked over the top of the boulder they were hiding behind and stared at the rock monster, concentrating. For a moment nothing seemed to happen. But then the monster suddenly whipped his head to the left. He grunted and then started to walk over to where he had thought he heard something. Kathy ducked back down. "It worked. Let's go."

The three leapt out of hiding and ran for the ball of light that the rock monster had been guarding. It turned as it heard them and yelled out in rage and started towards them. Yet it was too late. Katie had reached her powers and they had flowed back into her. "Boy does that feel good," she said.

"Kate, look out!"

Katie turned as the rock monster opened it's mouth and four boulders came shooting out at the three siblings. Katie yelped and flung up her outstretched hands, freezing the boulders. "Any ideas on how to get rid of him?"

"Throw the rocks back at him," Ian said. "He's near the edge. Maybe they can knock him over it."

Katie nodded and whipped her arm. The boulders shot back at the rock monster and slammed into him. The force caused him to fall back and topple over the edge of the mountain and fall to his doom. "Two sets of powers back and one to go," Katie said.  
"But where's the next set?" Ian asked, looking around.

Rashal flashed in just a few feet away and began to speak the next clue. "The last of your powers is guarded well. It's not against beast or monster that you must prevail. This tribe of people works as one. Just remember, no killing, they are man not demon." And with another flash of red, he was gone.

"A tribe?" Ian said. "Better not be Borneo demons."

"Weren't you listening?" Katie asked. "He said they weren't demons."

"So a human tribe," Ian said. "Okay, so we can't kill them because we are not allowed to kill humans. That's not what our powers are for."

"Then how do we stop them and get your powers back?" Kathy asked.

"We don't need to kill them," Katie said. "Knocking them out is valid. So is flinging them with telekinesis and freezing them. It's just the killing that's the big no no."

"Well let's go." Ian started for the pathway down the mountain.

"I wish I could just orb us back down," Katie muttered.

Ian nodded. "But at least going down is easier than going up."

-x-x-

"Man, that water is refreshing," Katie said. She sat next to a clear river, trying to get re-hydrated after their long hike down the mountain. Kathy was laying in the shade under some trees and Ian sat on a rock, studying the map given to them by Rashal. "So what's the word Ian? Which way to we go?"

"According to the map the tribe's camp isn't too far from here. It's just a little ways to the west."

"Good," Katie said, standing up. "Then we don't have far to go to get your powers back." An arrow suddenly shot past Kate's ear and struck a tree behind her. "... And bad because we're so close that they have scouts here!" Katie dived to the ground as another arrow shot out from the woods. She scrambled over to her brother and sister who were ducking behind the rock Ian had been sitting on a minute before. "How many are there?" she whispered.

"Only two," Kathy said. "Just a couple of scouts. I don't think that the main tribe knows we are coming."

"Which means we can't let these guys get away to tell their friends," said Ian. "Kate, you freeze, then we'll knock them out."

Katie nodded. "Gotcha." She stood up and shot out her hands, freezing the two scouts who had moved out from the trees and into the clearing.

Ian and Kathy then went over and stood behind the scouts. "Okay," Ian said to Kate with a nod. Katie waved her hands and the scouts unfroze. And before they knew what was happening, Ian and Kathy had whacked them upside their heads, knocking them out. "Alright, let's get out of here before they wake up." He then ran off into the woods with his sisters following, heading west.

-x-x-

The three siblings peeked out from the trees and into a clearing where the tribe's camp was. It was a large place with many Indian warriors walking about. There were a few women and children around, but it was mostly men.

"Ian," Kathy whispered. "Can you feel your powers?"

"Yeah. I think... I think they are in the center of the camp."

"Typical," Katie muttered. "They can't be somewhere that's easy to get to, oh no."

"Let's just get this over with and get home. And remember, no killing. They're human, not demon." His sisters nodded. "Okay, Kath. You're up."

Kathy moved to the front of the group and shot out two psychic pulses at the two warriors guarding the entrance to the camp. They fell to the ground and the three siblings rushed out of the woods and towards the camp.

In seconds they were under attack. An arrow shot for Katie and she froze it in mid-air and then knocked it out of the air with her hand. Turning to the warrior who had shot the arrow, Katie swung her arm and sent him crashing into a wigwam (house).

Ian came up against two warriors and took one down with a roundhouse kick. The other pulled a knife and slashed Ian's arm, drawing blood. Ian kicked the knife out of the warrior's hand and then gave a sharp punch to the side of his head, knocking the warrior out.

"You okay, Ian?" Kathy came up to her brother and examined his arm. "It's not deep, but healing it is probably a good idea." Golden light flowed from her hands and the cut was sealed up.

"Thanks. Now let's go get my powers and end this game."

Minutes later they were still fighting, but had gained a lot of ground. With Katie freezing and flinging, Ian kicking and punching, and Kathy blasting, they soon reached the center of the camp.

"My powers are in there," Ian said, pointing to the wigwam just ahead. "You two hold them off. I'll be right back." Ian then kicked open the door and went inside.

It was dim in the wigwam; the only light coming from the glowing orb that was Ian's powers on the other side of the room. He would have gone for them right away, had there not been a huge man blocking his path. The warrior looked to be seven feet tall. War paint covered his face and muscled arms. And he was smiling.

"Uh.. H-Hi," Ian stammered. "Can I just... get my powers and go?" The warrior shook his head. "Yeah, I didn't think so." The warrior rushed at Ian and the male witch dived and rolled, coming back up to his feet. He ran for his powers, but felt the warrior grab him from behind. Ian was lifted off the ground and thrown into a small table, smashing it.  
"Little man will not get glowing orb," rumbled the warrior.

Ian rolled onto his back and then sat up. "Wow. Big man know English." The warrior growled and rushed at Ian again. This time, Ian kicked out at the warrior's legs, causing him to trip and fall to the ground, shaking it as he landed. Ian jumped up and ran to the other-side of the room, retrieving his powers. He turned around and smiled at the warrior who had gotten to his feet. "Guess what? I got glowing orb." Ian then levitated into the air and shot a strong kick into the warrior, sending him back and crashing through the wall of the wigwam.

Light streamed in and Kathy and Katie were standing there, stunned. "What the hell happened?" Katie asked.

Ian came out of the wigwam and smiled. "I got my powers back."

There was a sudden flash of light and the three of them were back where they had started on the island, Rashal standing in front of them. "Well done," he said with a small clap of his hands. "You have completed the game without any of you dying. I must say, that's a first."

Ian stood there glaring at Rashal and now raised his hands up. "I am tired, cranky, have bruises all over, and my trigger finger is getting twitchy. Tell us what the hell this was all about or you go bye bye."

"Well, you can't blow me up," Rashal said. "You just don't have that kind of power. Yet I will tell you anyway. Originally this place was meant as a testing grounds for witches and demons alike. Many people rely on just their powers and not their other abilities to survive. So Scavenger Island was created as a place where witches and demons alike could be sent to test their skills without their powers.

"Yet the Elders decided to stop sending witches after awhile. Too many were dying and the Elders didn't like that too much. But the Source and many other demons loved this place. Demons are always trying to prove themselves so this place was a true test of strength and power."

"So if the Elders decided to quit sending witches here, then why are we here?" Kathy asked.

"The Elders didn't send you here. I was hired to bring you here."

"By whom?" Ian asked.

"Sorry, can't say. Now, you won the game, got your powers back, and it's time to send you home. Bye now." Rashal then waved his hand and a portal opened behind the siblings, sucking them into it.

-x-x-

Back in the alley near the Wiccan shop a portal opened and Ian, Katie, and Kathy were thrown out of it. The portal then closed just as the three got to their feet.

"Oh no," Katie said. "Ian, look. The sun is starting to rise."

Ian glanced at his sisters and then ran down the alley and around the corner. He stopped short as the sight met his eyes. There was an ambulance parked on the road in front of the Wiccan shop. Paramedics were wheeling a gurney out through the open door. The body was covered up.

"We're too late," Ian whispered as his sisters came up behind him. "The demon killed that woman. We didn't make it in time because someone wanted us out of the way."

Katie put a hand on Ian's shoulder. "I'm guessing it was the same someone who killed the Source. Our new threat."

"But why would they want to kill that woman?" Kathy asked. "And why go through all the trouble of getting us out of the way just for that?"

Ian shook his head. "I don't know. But whoever this guy is, he's going to pay."

Katie inclined her head to the alley. "Come on. Let's go home." The three then turned to go back into the alley as the ambulance pulled away and drove down the street, it's siren wailing in the early morning.


	46. Shadows of the Past

A/N: Long story short,FF.N hates me and I hate it. For the past month I've been getting random errors while reading fics, and not being able to upload files properly. So I kind of gave in and added the last part of the episode sinceFF.N wouldn't. If there's any typos or weird paragraphs, that's probably why. I hope it turned out okay though. ...Ian wrote this episode by himself, by the way.

_Unique-Deflection -_ Thanks for your review! You make us feel loved. It's a good feeling.

Editorial update: Well, things have been going really slow. We've all been busywith the summer, and with two of three out of high school, I'm not sure how much free time we'll have to write once the school year starts up. So far, though, I can promise you guys four more full episodes! ...That's actually kind of sad, considering.

* * *

**Episode 2.21: Shadows of the past**

"Okay, I don't even know what I am looking for." Ian stood in the attic, flipping through the pages of the Book of Shadows. Kathy sat on the floor near-by, looking through an old box of junk. "I mean we don't know anything about who we are up against. All we know is that whoever it is was powerful enough to kill the Source."

"Have you realized how much junk is up here?" Kathy asked.

Ian turned to his sister. "You haven't been listening to me at all, have you?"

"Well I kinda tune out when you start rambling. Katie taught me that, but don't tell her I said anything."

"Uh huh," Ian said, glaring. "Okay, whatever. I didn't really say much anyway."

"Good. Now back to what I was saying. This attic has been a mess ever since I got here."

"It's been a mess since I was born. We just haven't had a chance to clean it in the past two years. And if we ever cleaned it when we were younger it wouldn't stay clean long. Our family keeps EVERYTHING."

"I've noticed," Kathy mumbled. She set the box down and then got to her feet. "Well I think I have myself a project. I am going to clean this attic up."

"Good luck..." Ian frowned. "But don't you have work to do?"

"Work, shmerk. I have been working my ass off for weeks. I deserve a break."

"And your break consists of cleaning?"

"I like to clean... Sometimes. And hey, these boxes must be full of memories. Giving me the chance to learn more about this family."

Ian smiled. "I just wish that you could have grown up with us. There is so much that we did that we can't share with you now. The best we can do is old pictures."

"A picture is worth a thousand words," Kathy said, opening another box.

"Very true." Ian glanced at his watch. "Well, contrary to you, I have to get to work. I have a column to write and I have to prepare for my radio interview tomorrow."

"Oh right. I forgot you had that this week. I'll be sure to tune in."

"You better." Ian closed the Book of Shadows and started to walk out of the attic. "Otherwise you'll get a personal interview with my cranky side."

Kathy laughed and then looked down into the box she had opened. Near the top was a diary. Kathy picked it up and opened it. "This diary belongs to Lana King." Kathy gasped. That was her biological mother. "Well... I wanted to learn more about this family. Here's my chance." Kathy then sat down on the old couch and turned to the first page. "Dear diary. It is my honeymoon tonight. I am finally married..."

_In the past..._

"... Jack is taking a shower right now. He got a little sweaty at the reception." Lana read to herself as she wrote in the diary that she had gotten as a wedding present. "I am so glad that I don't have to hide anything from him. He is a witch also and has some whitelighter blood in him. Yes, the Elders were not too happy about his parents marrying, but... well Jack's family is very stubborn."

Jack came out of the bathroom, drying his hair. "Hey! That's... That's very true." Lana stopped writing and smiled up at her husband. He came and sat down next to her. "Come on. Let's have some fun." Lana laughed and the two went into the bedroom.

-x-x-

"Dear diary. Ian is finally asleep. He has been waking me up every two hours since he was born. And there have been more then enough demon attacks this week. Fortunately, I have put a protection spell around Ian's nursery and it has worked so far. Yet right now it is getting late so I am signing off." Lana put down her pen and got up from the small desk in the living room.

All of a sudden there was a crash from the foyer. "Oh no. Not again." Lana ran into the foyer to see a grotesque demon there. He sent a blast of energy against Lana, but she threw up her hands and froze the scene. "Jack!" Her husband ran in, holding a potion. "Well, throw it!" Jack nodded and sent the potion flying at the demon. It hit him and he exploded.

"Another one. They have been attacking so many times this week." Jack started to clean up a smashed vase that the demon had knocked off a stand.

"Well Ian will be growing into his powers soon. He has a little already. Especially when he was in me. I blew up so many things... Seems like the tradition continues. He will be the strongest of our three children. And I am guessing that the demons know this and want his powers." Lana went into the kitchen and Jack followed her.

"Wait... three children? We are having more?"

Lana nodded. "Of course. I have to carry on the tradition. With Barbara unable to have kids and Sam dead..." Tears began to come to her eyes.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry to bring up memories like that. Okay. We will have two more kids. Can't be that hard to handle... hopefully."

_Present time..._

Katie sat at her desk in her office, filing some paper work, when her boss came in. "Hey, Mr. Knight. What's the word?"

"I have a project for you."

Katie nodded in acknowledgment. "Okay. What is it? Fixing a computer? Helping a new client? Getting more supplies?"

Mr. Knight shook his head. "I want you to do a sales pitch. We haven't been doing well this month so I think we need a new way to get people to come here."

"A sales pitch?" Katie repeated, her face a look of confusion. "Isn't that more in the range of advertising? Because I fix computers. I don't find ways to sell the service."

"Well I wanted to get you to broaden your range of skills. It'll be good for you."

"Okay, okay. So how should I start?"

"Meet up with Anderson once you are done with this paper work. He will be your partner for this assignment."

"Wait, now there is a partner in the mix? And it's Anderson? James Anderson?"

Mr. Knight nodded. "Yes. Is there a problem with that?"

"Of course there is. James is the most annoying person here. I can't work with him! And he is a total slacker. I don't know why he was hired."

Mr. Knight sighed. "Look, just deal with him and get it over with. And..." Knight glanced around. "...Don't tell anyone, but it wasn't my choice to hire him. His father is one of the higher-ups in the company. Now, please Katie. Just deal with him this once. All right?"

"Fine. But if I accidentally lose my temper and murder him you can't blame me for it. You know how I hate annoying people."

"I know. Now get to work." Mr. Knight then turned and left the office.

-x-x-

Kathy was now lying on her back on the floor with the diary held over her. She had completely forgotten about her decision to clean the attic. She was just so caught up in reading her mother's diary. As she finished one page, Kathy turned to the next and continued reading.

_The past..._

"Dear diary. We are at the park today. It's Jack's birthday and Jack and I decided that the park would be something fun for everyone. And this way Jack can run around after Ian and I can sit on a bench and relax. My due date to have Katie is in a few months and I am worn out."

"Mommy! Mommy!" Lana looked up to see Ian running toward her with a large smile on his face.

"Hi honey!" Ian jumped into his mother's arms and she held him tight. Jack came up to them and laughed.

"He is just to fast for me. Aren't ya, buddy?" Ian looked up at his father and giggled. "And guess who we just saw?" Jack stepped aside and a woman came into view.

"Barbara!" Lana yelled. Lana's sister came up to the family and gave Lana a big hug.

"Hey sis! Oh it is so good to see you! And my nephew." Barbara took Ian up in her arms. "Has he come into his powers?"

Lana nodded. "Oh yeah. Only one so far though. But it is the most dangerous."

"Ah... Has he been blowing things up?"

"What else? I have been cleaning the house none stop. All though demon attacks have been light lately. I think they have decided to stop trying."

Barb sighed. "Well just don't let your guard down. That could get you killed."

"Me _and_ my second baby."

"Yep. And you have to have your children carry on the King name. Don't you think it is strange that it always works though? I mean it goes boy, girl, girl. Never different. Isn't it strange?"

"Ha! You are a part of _this_ family and you call _that_ strange?"

"Oh shush." Barb set Ian down and then sat next to her sister on the bench.

"So how long are you staying, Barb?" Jack asked.

"I think I'll stay a week. I have some time off of work, and I want to spend more time with Ian and you guys. Now come on. I'm hungry. Let's go get birthday boy here a cake."

_In the present..._

Ian entered the break room at The Central office building and poured himself a cup of coffee. He was the only one in there and he was glad for that. Ian slumped down in a large chair and closed his eyes. Ever since he and his sisters had gotten back from Scavenger Island, Ian had been working overtime to try and figure out who their new threat was. And his other two jobs didn't help.

"Ah ha. Sleeping on the job. Something else to use against you."

Ian's eyes flew open and he saw Charisma standing in front of him, smiling her snobby smile. "I wasn't sleeping. I was just resting my eyes for a moment."

"Uh huh. That's one of the oldest excuses in the book. Now I told you, Ian. I want your job. And I will use anything and everything I can against you."

Ian stood up and looked down on Charisma, who was several inches shorter. "You can try. But you won't win. See, I am one of the biggest things going for this paper. I'm good friends with Derek and the other administrators. And tomorrow I have a radio interview that will promote me and the paper. So I think I won't be getting fired, especially by you doing something, anytime soon." He finished off his coffee and started to leave the room. Yet he turned back to say one more thing. "And even if I was fired I still own one of the best clubs in town. So no worries for me." Ian gave a quick, fake smile and then left.

After a quick walk down the hall Ian went into his office and grabbed a letter out of one of the many boxes filling the room. As he did, Ian was pulled into a premonition. A woman was running down an alley, yelling for help. She tripped, fell, and then quickly tried to get to her feet. Ian saw a man suddenly grab the woman from behind, put a gun to her head, and—

Ian came out of the vision with a gasp. He was about to open the letter when Derek came into the room. "How's that column going for tomorrow's paper?"

"Um... Fine. But I have to go." Ian grabbed his jacket and started out of the office.

"What? Where are you going?"

"Lunch break!" Ian called over his shoulder, already on his way down the hall.

"It's 10:30!" Derek yelled. Yet Ian was already gone. Derek sighed and shook his head.

-x-x-

Katie sat at the break room table, a notepad with a few ideas on it sitting in front of her. James Anderson sat across the table playing with a rubber band. He was barely eighteen and still had several pimples on his face. "James, can you please pay attention and maybe even help?"

"I am helping," James said absentmindedly.

"Really. It looks like you are just playing with a rubber band." James didn't even look at her. "...Give me that!" Katie reached across the table and grabbed the rubber band from James' hands. "Now can you please contribute to this? If you don't help then this project will bomb and Mr. Knight will blame me."

"So?" James picked up a plastic spoon and started tapping it against the table.

"So my job is at stake. My job is _always_ at stake. There are several other people that could have my job and would leap at the chance if I got fired. You on the other hand could probably stay here as long as you want."

"And I know that, too," James said, still tapping the spoon.

"You know, you are one of the most annoying people I have ever met. And I am not afraid to say that because I think you might be old enough to not go and complain to daddy."

James smiled. "Oh, but I'm not."

Katie sighed. She didn't know how she had got stuck with this freak. And the tapping of the spoon was driving her crazy. Katie shot out her hand and James froze. "I can't do this." She put her head down on the table and moaned. "How I am going to get him to work!" She sat up and rubbed her face. "Okay, I just have to do my best. I might kill him out of rage, but oh well." Katie waved her hand and James unfroze. The tapping started again and Katie just put her head back down.

-x-x-

Kathy sat in the attic, smiling as she read through her mom's diary. "Dear diary. Katie was born today..."

_In the past..._

"...I am writing this as I sit in the recovery ward. Jack is watching over Katie along with Ian. Ian was so cute when he saw the baby. At first he thought she was ugly. But then when he got to hold her he saw how sweet and vulnerable she was. Then he asked the sweetest thing. He asked if he could watch over her and protect her. Of course, I said yes. And I think he will protect her. For as long as the two of them are brother and sister." Lana grinned to herself. "Forever."

_In the present..._

Ian drove down the street, constantly looking around. In his premonition he had seen a building he recognized across the street from the alley. Ian turned a corner and pulled over to the curb as he saw the "land mark". He just hoped he wasn't too late. His premonitions usually happened just before the real happening occurred, so he always had to hurry.

Jumping out of his Honda civic, Ian ran into the alley. No one was there yet so he hid behind a large dumpster. He didn't have to wait long, for just a few minutes later he heard a woman screaming and running into the alley. Ian came out from his hiding place just in time to see the woman trip and fall. He also saw the man coming up behind her, gun in hand. "Hey!" Ian yelled. He ran forward and kicked the gun out of the man's hand just before he pulled the trigger.

"Who the hell are you?" the man growled.

"No one you're going to like." Ian spun in a circle and gave a strong kick to the man's chest, knocking him down. "Get out of here!" Ian yelled to the woman who was getting to her feet. She didn't give any objection and peeled out of there as fast as she could. Turning back to the attacker Ian saw the man going for his gun. "Oh no you don't." Ian lurched forward and tackled the man to the ground.

"Get off me!" The man got free of Ian's hold and stumbled to his feet. He glanced at his gun and then back at Ian, who was now back up and in a fighting stance. Without another word he turned and ran back down the alley the way he had come.

Ian dropped his arms to his sides. "Another day, another demon. ...Or mugger. But whatever." He looked down at the gun on the ground and shot out his hand, releasing his power. The gun exploded into several pieces. Ian then scooped the remains up and chucked them into the dumpster. "One less gun in this world, thank god." He looked at his watch and sighed. "Lunch break's over. Back to work." Ian then made his way back down the alley and back to his car.

-x-x-

The three siblings sat at the dining room table later that night eating their dinner. "So," Ian said, starting conversation, "What did everyone do today?"

"Well," Kathy said, "I found Lana's diary in the attic. I was reading it most of the day. She was such an interesting person and I am learning so much of this family's past."

"Wow. Mom's diary. I remember that she used to write in that thing all the time," Ian said.

Katie nodded. "Yep. Everyday."

"And how would you know?" Ian asked. "You were one year old."

"Well... Okay, so you told me she wrote in it everyday. It's still a fact."

"She must have written in it everyday," Kathy said. "Because every page so far is just totally filled. She wrote on one page until she couldn't fit another word on there."

"Yeah. She wanted that one to last for as long as it could because she said it symbolized the beginning of her new life with her own family. She didn't waste any of that paper." Ian sighed. Talking about his mother was nice, but he could only take it for so long before it became sad. "So, Kate, what about you? What did you do today?"

"I spent the day with an annoying little creep and didn't get any work done," Katie muttered.

"Huh?"

"Knight gave me this project to make a new sales pitch."

Kathy frowned. "But isn't that—"

"Advertising? Yes, yes it is. But he wanted me to 'expand my range of skills.' And then he gave me a partner for the project. Not one of my friends there or co-workers I respect, oh no. He had to give me the most annoying little brat of the whole company. Stupid James Anderson."

Ian set down his fork and leaned on his elbows. "Kate? No offense, but you sound like a little kid who didn't get the partner they wanted for a class project."

Katie glared at her brother. "I never did get to be with who I wanted back then, either. And you just had to remind me. But the point is that the guy is such a slacker and won't do any work. I'm never going to get it done with him being like that. And if I don't then it will look really bad on my record. And Mr. Knight will be upset with me... again."

"Well," Ian said, "You have to find someway to get this guy to help. Charm him or something. Work your magic on him."

"Yeah, yeah," Katie mumbled. "Your turn. Fill us in, bro."

"Um... I worked on my column, saved a woman from a mugger, and worked on my column some more."

"Mugger?" Kathy asked.

"Yeah. I got a premonition off a letter from this woman. This guy was going to shoot her. So I took my lunch break _really_ early and went and saved her."

"But," Kathy said, "aren't your premonitions usually of demon attacks?"

"Usually, but not always. And I done good today. Hopefully the police get him soon. He's dangerous."

"You didn't turn him in?" Katie asked.

"He ran away. And I think I'll let the authorities take care of this one. I stopped his crime for today. It's their job to stop the rest." Ian then got up from the table and picked up his plate. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to bed early. I want to be well rested for that radio interview tomorrow."

"Goodnight," the sisters said.

"Night."

-x-x-

Katie was in the attic late that night after her siblings had gone to bed. She stood at the pedestal that the Book of Shadows sat on and was paging through it. "I have to find some spell that will get James to work or else I am going to be in big trouble." She stopped on one page and smiled. "To Multiply One's Work Ability."

Katie scanned through what she would need for the spell, quickly gathered them up, and then sat down at a low table with the Book of Shadows on her lap. She dropped the items she had gathered into a large bowel and mixed them with a motar. Then, after lighting a match and dropping it in, Katie began the spell. "There is a job that must be done, but is held back by a lazy one. As this smoke rises oh so pretty, may this spell multiply James' work ability."

After sitting for a few moments with nothing happening, Katie sighed. "Well, that spell blew. Guess I will just have to get James' to work the old fashioned way... by threatening him." Katie then quickly cleaned up and then headed down the stairs to go to bed.

-x-x-

The next morning Kathy was sitting in the kitchen by herself eating breakfast. Ian and Katie had already left; Katie for work and Ian for the radio interview. Her mother's diary was open before her and Kathy was reading it as she ate. "Dear diary. It's Katie's first birthday..."

_In the past..._

"...She doesn't know that, of course, but is happy and excited anyway. So excited that she used her telekinesis, forcing me to freeze the room."

Jack came into the bedroom and looked over Lana's shoulder as she wrote. "Yep. That's my girl," Jack said, chuckling. "She sure is coming into her powers. Maybe even faster than Ian did. She made that present just zoom right to her."

Lana nodded and put down the pen she was writing with. "Yeah. Let's just hope she learns to be a little more discreet with her powers. If she's exposed at anytime... really bad things could happen."

"Well she will learn what to do. The early years of being a witch are tough, but she'll have us there to help every step of the way."

Lana nodded again as she picked the pen back up to start writing again. "Just like our parents were."

_The present..._

Kathy stopped reading and sighed. "Boy, were they wrong about that." She closed the diary and then looked at her watch. "Speaking about being wrong, I thought I wasn't going to be late for work today!" Kathy jumped to her feet, put her dishes in the sink, and then hightailed it out of the manor.

-x-x-

"Ian King?"

Ian glanced up from where he was sitting to see a tall woman with brunette hair and glasses standing in front of him. He had arrived at the radio station just a few minutes earlier and had been instructed to wait in the lobby. "Yeah, that's me."

"Please come with me, sir."

Ian got up and followed the woman. They went into an elevator and went up a few floors. After coming out they headed into a large office. A man with long hair pulled back in a ponytail and a beard sat behind the desk. When Ian was shown in the man got up and came over to shake Ian's hand. "You must be Ian King. It's great to meet you."

"Thanks," Ian said, shaking the man's hand. "And you are?"

"Mark. Mark Simmons. I'm going to be interviewing you on the show. We have a few minutes before we have to start prepping. Would you like something to drink? Coffee?"

"Coffee sounds great," Ian said as he sat down.

"Ileane, please get Mr. King some coffee."

"Right away, sir," Ileane, the woman who showed Ian in, said.

"Alright," Mark said, sitting back down after Ileane left, "Let's go over what's going to happen."

-x-x-

Katie opened the door to her office and set her stuff down on her desk.

"Katie."

Katie jumped and turned around. "Mr. Knight. Hi. Oh, um, about the project..."

"I just wanted to come and tell you that you and James did a great job. I loved the sales pitch."

Katie frowned with confusion. "What?"

"I know that you weren't too happy about working with James, but I am glad you got over that and did some wonderful work. James handed it to me the second he got here. Which he was quite early." Mr. Knight chuckled. "First time that guy has been early since he got the job. And he has been hard at work ever since he got here."

Katie was still trying to get over her confusion. "He has?"

"Yeah. Take a look for yourself." Knight led Katie out into the sea of cubicles and over to James'. Files were piled high all around him and he himself was typing furiously on his computer and talking on the phone at the same time. "I swear," Knight said, "he's gotten more work done than he has... well, ever."

"Oh," Katie whispered. "The spell."

"Did you say something?" Knight asked.

Katie glanced at Mr. Knight and then shook her head. "No. No, nothing." Mr. Knight then walked off back towards his office while Katie stood there watching James' hard at work. "Well the spell seems to have worked. And it's making him work harder and the sales pitch is all done with me not having to lift a finger. Very nice." Katie smiled and then turned to go back to her office.

-x-x-

"This is KMG-99.3 coming to you this morning with an interview with The Central newspaper columnist, Ian King. How are you today, Ian?"

"I'm great. This is my first time on the radio." Ian and Mark sat in a dim booth, both wearing large headphones. Mark had a phone and a large control panel set in front of him along with a few papers.

"That's great. Now we will be known to have had the first radio interview with the famous Ian King."

Ian laughed. "I'm not famous."

"Oh, but you are. Thousands of people read your column everyday. I call that famous. And I can tell, Ian. You're going to be big."

"Thanks."

"Okay," Mark said. "On to the questions. Where were you born?"

"Here in New York."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"Yes, I do. I have two sisters. One I have known all my life and the other I have only known for a year now."

"Oh, a long lost sister, huh? Tell us about that."

Ian fidgeted. He was now sorry he had said that. "Um... It's kind of a long story. How about we keep going?"

"Alright... Whatever suits you. What are your hobbies?"

_Hobby? How about vanquishing demons every week?_ Ian thought. "Well I don't get a lot of free time. I have another job so I'm working a lot."

"Oh that's right. You own a club don't you?"

"Yeah, a night club. King's Corner."

"See, I told you. Famous. That club is one of the hottest places in town. And it actually burned down before, didn't it?"

Ian nodded. "Yes. Early last year it did."

"What was the cause of the fire?"

_Demon,_ Ian thought, thinking back. But he said, "Arson."

"Wow. And the place had to be totally rebuilt, right? And it was able to come back after that?"

"Yeah, money was tight for awhile. I had to take on a few other jobs, but those didn't work out. Then I finally got the job at The Central. And the club was able to come back. Had some very loyal customers. That and I had Avril Lavigne play at the reopening."

Mark laughed. "That would sure reel people in. Well let's take some calls, shall we?" Mark pushed one of the lighted buttons on the phone. "You're on the air. What's your question?"

"Ian King," came a deep, drawling voice. "I didn't know it was you when you stopped me from killing that woman. But when I saw your picture in the newspaper and heard that you would be on the radio... Well I just had to call. Call and tell you that I'm going to kill you. You and the rest of your family." There was a click and the line went dead.

Mark turned to Ian, his mouth hanging open. "What was that all about?"

"Um... You know what, Mark? We are just going to have to continue this another time. Sorry." Ian took off his headphones and ran out of the room as Mark called after him.

-x-x-

Katie was coming out of her office building to go to lunch when James came out behind her and just went on past. He was talking on his cell phone and working on a palm pilot at the same time. Katie shook her head, smiling. He had been working hard all day and had been doing the company a lot of good, reeling in a lot of new clients. Katie thought she would just leave the spell on him since it was doing him and the company so much good.

Then she saw James cross the street without looking for cars. And one was heading straight for him. "No!" Katie shot out her hands and the street froze. Then, using her telekinesis, she pushed James' out of the way of the oncoming car. Glancing quickly around Kate unfroze the scene. The car blasted through where James' had been just a second ago. He was now pushing himself up from the pavement. Katie ran to him and helped him up and out of the street. Cars coming from the other way were honking for him to get out of the way. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine." James then apologized to the person on his phone and then continued on his way.

Katie sighed. "Guess I am going to have to take that spell off him. He can't do very much good if he is working so hard he's not paying attention to anything else." Katie sighed again and then headed for her car to go home and reverse the spell.

-x-x-

"Ian, are you okay?" Kathy ran into the foyer the moment Ian came through the front door. "I heard that guy on the radio and came home immediately. Is he the one who you stopped from killing that woman yesterday?"

"I guess so," Ian said, hanging his jacket on the peg. "But if this guy comes after us then we'll use our wonderful powers to stop him from killing us."

"Who's killing us?" Katie had just come in and was now shutting the door behind her.

"The guy who called in to the radio." The three started down the foyer towards the kitchen.

"What guy?"

Ian stopped and narrowed his eyes at his sister. "You didn't listen to me on the radio?"

"Um... no. But I have a good excuse; really, I do."

Yet Katie had no time to give one. For right then the front door burst open and the man from before was there, a gun in his hand. "You made a big mistake, Mr. King."

"Yeah. My mistake was forgetting to lock that door..."

The man growled and continued on. "You got in the way of my business. And now you and these two fine ladies are going to pay. With your lives." The guy then pulled the trigger of the gun and there was a loud bang!

"Whoa!" Katie screamed, throwing up her hands and freezing the room. The bullet, the man; everything was frozen except for the three siblings. "Okay, screw the police. I am taking care of this guy right now." And before the other two could protest Katie sent the bullet flying into the man's chest, undoing the freeze of time.

The man stumbled back and then looked down at his chest. "What the...?" Then he glared back up at the three figures standing in the foyer. "Witches," he snarled.

Ian's mouth dropped open. "Wait, you're a demon? Then I could have just vanquished you the first time!" Ian shot out his hands and the demon exploded in a shower of sparks. "Man, what a weak demon. Has to revert to using guns? Now what kind of a demon uses guns?"

Kathy shook her head. "I don't know and I don't care. I am just glad he is gone."

"Me too," Katie said. "Because I have a spell to reverse." She then started off up the stairs.

"Wait, what spell!" Ian yelled after her.

"I'll tell you sometime next to NEVER!"

Ian sighed. "Okay, whatever. I'm going to call Mark and see if I can get back in for another show."

As Ian left the foyer Kathy went into the living room and picked up her mother's diary. She was almost finished and thought that after dinner that night she would read the last entry out loud to her brother and sister.

-x-x-

"Dear Diary," Kathy said, reading out of the siblings' mom's diary. They were all in the living room with Ian and Katie on the couch and Kathy in one of the chairs. "I have to write this entry quickly. Sorry it's so sloppy, but I am going into labor. Jack is running around frantically grabbing my things. I'm not worried. I know that we'll get to the hospital okay and Kathy will be born healthy as a horse. Well I have to go. Jack's ready and now yelling for me to get in the car. I'll write again once I get back. Write about my new beautiful baby." Kathy sighed. "Love, Lana."

Katie leaned on Ian's shoulder, a few tears streaming down her cheeks. "I wish that somehow she would have tapped into your telepathy and known that something was going to happen."

Kathy shook her head. "I can't see the future with my power. That's Ian's job. And we can't change the past."

"Well we could," Ian said. "But I doubt that it would be a good idea. Going into the past and messing with the timeline could change things in ways we could never imagine."

Katie nodded. "I know. I still just wish it would have never happened. Then we would have known you, Kath, all our lives. And we would have been prepared for this whole magic thing. And our powers would be stronger. Maybe even have more."

"I know how you feel," Kathy said. "But hey, we found each other. And I have learned so much about mom and about your guy's past. I'm so glad no one threw this out." She thought for a moment. "So I think I'll just wait on cleaning out the attic. There might be things up there worth keeping." Kathy then remembered the news she had gotten from Tony that day. "And on a lighter note... we're going to Egypt."

Ian blinked. "What?"

"There's going to be a fashion show in Egypt, I'm running it, and you guys get to go along!"

"Really?" Katie asked "Egypt?" Kathy nodded. "No way! Oh I am going to go pack right now!" She then jumped up from the couch and ran off up the stairs.

Ian smiled. "Cool. Looks like the Kings are going to Egypt."


End file.
